Blog Move…

I’ve now moved my blog to its new and permanent home: http://www.vancouvergood.com – all updates will be from the new location. See you there!

Denman / West End Eats: Good times at Kingyo Izakaya

Last night – small birthday party for my hubby and his best friend. 2 bottles of sake and a lot of food later, we rolled out of Kingyo full and happy.

An izakaya is not your standard “”Japanese Restaurant” or Sushi Bar.  Traditionally it’s where you drink and have a bunch of small plates. Many izakayas in Vancouver also do some sushi and sashimi, but it’s not required…the focus is more on cooked food. I LOVE THEM. Beer/Sake and a bunch of food at an izakaya is one of my favourite pastimes.

Now, onto the meal:

The drinks: 2 bottle of Momokawa Pearl Sake – this is unfiltered sake, so it’s very cloudy. Don’t let that deter you from trying it though – the taste is great. And remember, cold sake is good sake. Hot sake bad. Bad!

The Food:
I don’t see a current menu online anywhere, but an older one is available in pictures here. I was too busy drinking sake, so I didn’t take great notes, but here’s what I remember us eating:

– Ebi Mayo – Deep fried prawns with a mayo sauce. Crispy and light. Every izakaya has their version. Kingyo is one of my faves.
– Fresh sashimi of the day: Scallop, Ebi, Hamachi, Salmon, Tuna
– Top standout of the night: Pressed mackerel sushi. Thick pieces of fresh, seared mackerel, on squares of rice with an uber yummy sauce. This was soooooo good. So good.
– Chicken Karaage with three dipping salts
– Thinly sliced beef tongue that you grill on a hot rock at your table. Tender and flavourful.
– Spiced & fried squid
– Tofu pot of crisy tofu & mushrooms
– Tako Wasabi – raw octopus marinated with pickles and wasabi rolled in nori. Yum.
– Standout #2 of the night: Shrimp tempura rice balls. Fried shrimp on top of a mound of sushi rice on top of crisp and light seaweed. Everyone at the table loved this dish
– Pork rice paper roll
– Grilled black cod/sable fish
– Grilled duck breast
– Standout #3 of the night: Grilled kobe beek steak. So flavourful. As my friend put it, “you can taste every cell of fat in the meat” mmmm.

There was more food, but I am getting way too hungry thinking about this.

Service was friendly and speedy. On a Tuesday night, we didn’t wait long for a table but Kingyo gets pretty busy on weekends and summer nights. They take a limited number of reservations each night so call ahead if you can.

Kingyo Izakaya
871 Denman St, Vancouver
604.608.1677

Kitsilano Eats: DB Bistro Moderne

I finally made it over to DB Bistro Moderne this weekend for the first time.

My friend and I arrived at 2:25pm, 5 minutes before they stopped seating for weekend brunch – whew!

First,  I just LOVE how different it looks from the Feenie’s days. Finally, that big furry thing of lamp in Feenie’s old dining room is gone. I never got that piece of decor.

Anyways, back to DB Bistro. Beautiful, open room with a red/black colour scheme. Elegant yet trendy. I give DB the edge on decor over Market.

I wanted to eat the burger, but I was not feeling the need for so much beef that afternoon, so I perused the menu for other options. I ordered the Caesar Salad with chicken while my friend opted for the Duck Poutine Lyonnaise (duck confit, cheese curds gravy, potatoes).

The food comes and it’s great. Simple food done right. The chicken with my salad was incredibly flavourful and tender, and the salad perfectly dressed with Caesar dressing. I have to say, I think this is now my favourite Caesar in Vancouver (my other favourite is the to-die-for grilled Caesar at Cru, but it is incredibly rich that I can only justify it on occasion). I snagged a potato from my friend’s duck poutine, which he deemed fantastic…rich and yummy. I’m also wishing I ordered some pomme frites as I saw some at another table and they looked good.

My friend and I were deep in a gossip session and had nowhere to go, so we ordered dessert and coffee. I loved my dessert – an exotic fruit sundae with coconut sorbet and a pineapple cream. Light and refreshing.

By now, it was about 4pm and one by one every member of the staff came into the dining room, each holding a different plate of food for the staff meal before dinner service. We took that as our cue to leave and headed back into the sunshine.

Service was excellent, professional and gracious. I never felt rushed, even though we were the last people in the restaurant for brunch service.

I’ll be back to dinner. I’d go back right now if I could!

DB Bistro Moderne
2551 West Broadway, Vancouver (@ Larch)
604-739-7115

Vancouver Good Weekend Afternoon: Go Fish, Beer, and Granville Island

Late afternoon on a grey-ish Sunday afternoon. Walking to Granville Island in the light rain and Go Fish has no line-up! On a weekend afternoon, this is a rarity. I am thankful for the rain. At Go Fish I grabbed a cod tempura tacone, based on a famous salmon tacone. Crunchy and refreshing with a kick of spice – the perfect snack.

After the tacone, my hubby and I walked into Granville Island and were feeling thirsty, so we dropped by Granville Island Brewing for some Winter Ale. Next, onto the Net Loft so I could check out the newest outpost of Dream Apparel, which specializes in Canadian made designs. Some really great items at the store, many on sale too…but I managed to resist this afternoon. I’ll be back.

Okay, back to the task at hand – buying food for dinner! We walked into the market and were distracted by Lee’s Donuts (you need to get a Lee’s donut every time you’re on GI!) and bought a few honey dips. THEN we scurried around picking up food and took a lovely walk home along the sea wall.

An unexpected lovely Sunday afternoon in Vancouver.

Downtown Spas: Breathe Spa

I never thought I could love facials so much until I discovered Breathe Spa.

Breathe Spa is a boutique style spa that just moved into a beautiful space at 464 Granville St (b/w Pender and Hastings).

What makes the facials so extraordinary? Well.

First, it’s a full 2 hours long. And while they follow the 2 hour time frame, you never get the feeling like they’re watching the clock. For $140, a 2 hour facial is rare at spas. Usually facials are closer to 75-90 minutes.

Second, it’s an AMAZING 2 hours. First, they give you water/tea, a warm foot bath, and sit with you and discuss your skin. Next, you’re on the bed and your face is nicely cleansed and massaged.  While the cleansers and masques are penetrating your skin, they get to work on relaxing you. Long and lovely massages of your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, feet, legs. You’re completely relaxed as they move into the least fun part of facials, extractions. After the extractions, it’s back to relaxation time again. More masques and “facial stuff” (as you can see, I’m very technical), and more massage, including a longer rub of your neck, upper back, and shoulders. Then, a final masque that sits for about 15 minutes – I usually doze off at this point. Finally, they take the final mask off, and give you a scalp massage. And THEN you’re done. It’s the best 2 hours ever!

Here is the actual description of Breathe’s Signature Facial from their site:

2 Hours of complete bliss. Prepare to experience the best facial you will ever have.

The Breathe Spa facials are individually tailored to each client’s specific skin care needs, and are performed with the highest quality, professional European skin care from Geneva, Switzerland – “Method Physiodermie Skin Care Line”.

The Breathe facial involves: Full skin analysis, Deep cleansing, Aromatherapy Steam, Extraction, Oxygenation and Hydration of skin, Active blends of creams and oils to rejuvenate the skin, Lymphatic drainage massage of the face, neck and shoulders, Gel based treatment mask, Foot and hand massage.

In addition to the signature facial, they’ve recently expanded the different types of faicals they provide. They also specialize in hot stone massages and pedicures. Manicures, Make-up, and Waxing are also availalbe as add-on services (ie. you can’t book a manicure, but you can book a manicure with a pedicure).

The owners, Victoria and Toby, are warm and amazing at what they do.  I always look forward to my visits to Breathe Spa. They manage to deliver on what a spa experience should be – a place to truly relax, forget about the outside world, and be completely pampered.

If you are a spa person, or want to try a spa, go to Breathe – they’ll treat you right.

Breathe Spa
464 Granville St, Vancouver
604-688-4769

Kitsilano Coffee: Caffe Dolcetto

Caffe Dolcetto 2967 West Broadway Vancouver BC Canada.

Anything related to Cru Restaurant is great in my book. I stopped by Cru’s Kitsilano cafe Dolcetto yesterday for a quick look.

Super small cafe, maybe 10-15 seats inside plus four seats outside. Dolcetto serves 49th parallel coffee plus breakfast, brunch, and lunch items (mainly paninis and your standard cafe items). My Americano was perfectly declicious.

If you live in the ‘hood, lucky you. It sure beats the other coffee options in the neighbourhood. At least untl Caffe Artigiano opens.

Caffe Dolcetto
2967 West Broadway, Vancouver
(between Bayswater and Carnarvon)
Open until 6pm daily

Kitsilano Eats: Patisserie Lebeau

Waffles are good. And I am lucky enough to live by the best waffles in town.

After a spirited food adventure on Granville Island today, my friend and I opted to bypass the long line at Go Fish and dropped by Patisserie Lebeau for a snack.

They had lots of samples out (and I think my friend ate half of them!), and we ended up sharing a couple waffles:

1) Classic Brussels Waffle with poached pears and caramel sauce
2) Savoury waffle with green onions and cheese.

The waffles here are light, crispy and fresh. The perfect snack or light meal. You can also by them pre-packaged and frozen for home.

Other items include: chocolate croissants, rice pie, apple pie, salads, baguettes, and more. They sell out of baguettes fast, so stop by in the morning. The whole place is a big yum. Plus, after your waffle you can go to Les Amis du Fromage and Barbara-Jo’s  Books to Cooks for more foodie fun.

Patisserie Lebeau
1728 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver

Kitsilano Eats: Dan Japanese Restaurant

So many restaurants open in Vancouver every month and since I’m so busy trying new places, it often takes a while to do return trips to many places. An exception to this is Dan Japanese Restauarnt in Kitsilano on Broadway (at Larch), tucked in between the crazy busy Moderne Burger and Lumiere/DB Bistro.

Dan is the most under-rated Japanese restaurant in Vancouver. I’ve been to all of the “best Japanese” restaurants according to books and magazines and I never understand why Dan is rarely mentioned.

I return to Dan once a month for these reasons:

– Chicken Karaage…it is SO GOOD here!
– Another signature dish is their Nasu dengaku – a big piece of eggplant fried until tender and covered with two miso sauces. You scoop out the flesh & miso with a wooden spoon. Heaven.
– Everything is always fresh and authentic and the special menus are hand written daily. There’s always something new and different on the specials menu that I try. Today it was stewed kabocha squash, idiot fish tempura, and pressed Spanish mackerel sushi.
– Nice atmosphere that isn’t too loud- great for a date or small gathering. Sit at the sushi bar if you can.
– The owners and staff are extremely welcoming and warm. You won’t meet nicer people.

Part of me doesn’t want to mention Dan too much, but really – everyone should go. And, they’ve been super  busy lately, so the secret is kinda out. I call and make a reservation when I go so I’m not disappointed. The restaurant is well-priced, good quality, and delicious with excellent service. I’d take Dan over Toshi Sushi anyday.

Dan Japanese Restaurant
2511 W.Broadway, Vancouver
604-677-6930

Downtown Eats: Market by Jean Georges at the Shangri-la Hotel

Wow. I ate at Market Saturday Night – fantastic evening!

We arrived early for our reservation, so we could check out the bar. The website says the restaurant is divided into four “distinct experiences” –

…A cozy and casual bistro with fireplace; a heated outdoor terrace with city views; an enticing bar complete with raw bar; and a sophisticated fine-dining room featuring two private rooms, one for 10 and the other 12.

The bar, was nice but small. Very busy. Bar snacks: spicy nuts, buttery popcorn, and wasabi peas. I ordered a Cucumber Martini and it was quite fabulous. Light, refreshing, crisp flavour – one could easily drink too many.

I took a peek at the casual bistro, which looked like a good lunch spot. The outdoor terrace was not set-up yet since it’s still quite cold, but the “view” I saw was a parkade.

Overall the design felt very modern and the entire restaurant was packed.

We were seated for our 9pm reservation at 9:30pm, but the service staff was very apologetic and we were happy at the bar, so no problems there.

First step – figuring out what to order! Somebody nicely took a picture of the menu (as it’s not online) here.

Next, we were greeted cheerfully by the sommelier, who rustled up a yummy bottle of the 2004 Juan Gil for us.  Then, onto the food…which was awesome.

Starters – between the four of us, we had Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with avocado (well cooked), Dungeness Crab Dumplings with a meyer lemon and celeriac tea (the tea was SO GOOD with the dumplings!), steamed shrimp salad with an avocado champagne dressing (my favourite – huge portion and incredibly flavourful shrimp), and Seared Scallops with carmamelized cauliflower and a caper-raisin emulsion (very good I’m told, but I didn’t taste it).  I was disappointed because they’d just sold out of the sea urchin toast, which sounds delicious. Next time.

Mains – We all gravitated to similar items. Two of us had the slowly cooked arctic char with a truffle vinaigrette, truffle mashed potatoes, and truffle scented brussels sprouts. This dish was excellent. I can still taste it now as I write about it. The other two each had a seared Canadian sirloin with gingered mushroms and a soy-caramel sauce. The steak had great flavour, and it was a pretty generous slab of meat.

Desserts – A warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and an apple confit, which was rich and jammy with sorbet and creme fraiche…all of this washed down with espresso.

The food exceeded expectations – it was refreshing good, simple, and tasty! Service was professional and attentive. I will definitely return.

The only drawback was probably the crowd in the restaurant. Maybe it’s because we were in a late seating on a Saturday night or maybe I am out of the Vancouver scene, but let’s just say the people watching was very good. Amongst other things, everyone seemed to know each other and people were dressed to impress.  Overall the room was eclectic – full of different ages, locals, and tourists. But this is a minor quibble, and hey –  it WAS entertaining to observe.

Market by Jean Georges
Level 3 – 1128 West Georgia Street
Vancouver
Open for lunch & dinner Monday-Saturday
(1 604) 695 1115

Downtown / Crosstown eats: Cafe Medina

I stopped by Cafe Medina today and was reminded that in additon a to doing a good americano, they also do breakfast, lunch, and brunch on the weekends.

Cafe Medina is run by the same owners and kitchen as ever popular  Chambar and you can certainly see Chambar influences on the menu.

The menu at Cafe Medina is more unique than your typical lunch & breakfast joints. Things like spicy Morracan meatballs, or a light breakfast of a boiled egg with tomatos, proscuitto, avocado, good olive oil, and bread. And of course, Cafe Medina and Chambar are famous for their belgian waffles, with your choice of yummy toppings from yogurt to lavender milk chocolate.

Everyone love the waffles at Medina. They are good, but I do find them hit and miss at times. Most times, they are light, crisp, warm, and delicious. Perfect. Today, they were a little tough to be honest. But, they still tasted good and I was in a hurry and wasn’t about to say much. I did hear the lady next to me say “they’re not crispy!” That said, perfect or a little less than perfect, they’re yummy.

Weekend brunch can have line-ups, so show up early, or be prepared to wait. They use their back room as well for lunch/brunch, so don’t shy away from the small looking front room – the room in the back sits more people and is beautiful (I like it way more than the front room).

Cafe Medina
556 Beatty St.
Vancouver, B.C.
604-879-3114