Perch

Perch is quite possibly my favorite restaurant in all of Vancouver. The menu is quite simple really - appetizers, pizzas, sandwiches and burgers - but the combination of ingredients and flavor make this place unique.

The main reason I go to perch is for the pizzas. All the pizzas are gluten-free, made with fresh ingredients and offer the option of vegan cheese. My favorite is the #2 - spinach, brie, portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions and pesto. But, really, any one of the pizzas on the menu is delicious. Seriously, I probably daydream about these pizzas on an every-few-days basis, they're that good!

The other reason I love this place is the yam salad. Arugula, cooked yams and cashews, with a pesto-hummus dressing. Perfecto!

Also, did I mention that they have free two-player tetris?

Perch up until this weekend was located at 1701 Powell Street (at the foot of Commercial Drive), but will be opening at a new location on East Hastings street in the middle of September.

Lombardo's Pizzeria

My sister and I have started a new weekly dinner date every Wednesday night, in which we try out a new restaurant in Vancouver. Last night, we tried out Lombardo's Pizzeria on Commercial Drive. I had heard a lot about Lombardo's from one of my coworkers, who explained the whole Lombardo's vs. Marcello's longwinded family fued to me. My coworker has always sided with Lombardo's saying that the food (and owners for that matter) are better, and claiming that this place has the best pizza on the drive!

First of all, the restaurant is located inside a “kind-of” shopping center (I use the “ “ marks because there are only about four or five stores/restaurants in the whole center). This location gives the restaurant a more casual feel, which may or may not be advantageous depending on their clientele.

My sister and I ordered two medium pizzas to share – one margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil) and a vegetariana (tomato sauce, mozzarella, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, artichoke hearts). The pizza was just ok – the margherita didn’t have buffalo mozzarella, which in my opinion is a necessity, and there was only one lonely basil leaf on top. The vegetariana was a bit bland, but that’s understandable – i can't imagine that many of their clientele are veggie-lovers.

All and all, there are other places along the drive that have better pizza (such as perch http://www.eatdrinkperch.com/ or firestone pizza http://firepizza.ca/), but pizza is pizza and we almost finished both pies nonetheless!

To see Lombardo's website, go here: http://lombardos.ca/.

Little Nest

Little nest is a cute cafe off of commercial drive. The cafe is designed for families with little ones to come and enjoy their meal in an accepting and baby-friendly environment. If you don't mind a bit of screaming in the background while you eat, then I would definitely recommend trying this place out!

The food is here is wonderful. All of the items on the menu sound intriguing and their baked goods - muffins and cakes and brownies - look divine!

My mom and I went here for breakfast last weekend. The atmosphere is very dainty - almost like your great aunt's tearoom or something along those lines.

My mom opted for their brioche french toast - french toast with toasted pecans, bananas, cinnamon whipped mascarpone and butterscotch syrup.

I had the scrambled eggs with toasted multigrain baguette soldiers. The eggs here were delicious - full of butter and cream!

 

Check out their website here: http://www.littlenest.ca/littlenest.html

Medina Cafe

My friend and I went to this popular Brunch spot a couple of weeks ago. It is the sister restaurant of Chambar - the ritzy Belgian restaurant, which happens to be one of my favorite places to dine in Vancouver.

Cafe Medina also serves up delicious Belgian fare, but is only open for brunch. Be prepared to wait in line!

My friend and I shared one of their infamous Belgian waffles - we opted for a side of the raspberry caramel sauce.

For my main, I got l'omelette du matin - a spinach, yam, tomato, artichoke and feta omelette served with grilled foccacia. Perfecto!

My friend ordered la fricasse - 2 fried eggs, short ribs, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, arugula and cheese, served with grilled foccacia.

Check out their website: http://www.medinacafe.com/.

Au Petit Chavignol

I went here the other night with one of my friends. It's located on Hastings Street and Hawke Avenue, a block down from the infamous Astoria pub. Au Petit Chavignol is located right beside Les Amis du Fromage, it's sister company, which means if you like something on the menu, you can go right next door after your meal and buy it! :)

The first thing I noticed about this place was its extensive list of aperatifs and digestifs, which I of course indulged in! I ordered a glass of Ricard pastis to sip at while Lucy and I waited for our spinach and chevre salad. This salad was amazing - spinach, deep-fried chevre, sliced almonds and strawberries in a raspberry vinagrette.

For my entree, I ordered the four cheese macaroni and cheese which was oozing with cheeeeeese. They use a very eclectic mix of cheese: gruyere, white cheddar, orange cheddar and stilton blue.

Overall, a very cheeeeeesy experience.

Belgian Fries!

Belgian Fries is located at Commercial and 3rd Street.

It's best enjoyed when you feel a little bit under the weather and need some lovely grease to perk you up!

The beer is really cheap - $4.25 for a sleeve of granville island!

And they have fourteen different types of dips!

Next up on the list to try there: deep-fried pecan ice cream.

HAVANA RESTAURANT

Havana is a Cuban restaurant located on commercial drive across from Grandview Park. This place makes delicious food and to-die-for cocktails (especially the strawberry-ginger mojitos!). It also has a huge patio, a theatre/gallery/art space and an overall coooool feeling.

We ordered the calamari as a starter, and then I had the shrimp tacos as my main, which were nicely jazzed up with cumin, bean puree, avocado and pineapple salsa !... om nom nom.

Everyone should go here!

http://www.havanarestaurant.ca/

Rhizome Cafe

This little cafe is located on Broadway, a couple of blocks east of Main street. This is a very interesting space; the decor creates a very warm atmosphere that makes you feel at home.

The food is terrific too~I love love love the kamut-banana pancakes! Add a side of veggie breakfast patties and I'm smiling.

Words of warning: do not go to this place if you are pressed for time. They like to make you wait to earn your delicious meal!

Check it out ~ http://www.rhizomecafe.ca/index.html

Cafe Deux Soleils - Part II

I know I've previously written about this place before, but that was about breakfast.

This time it's about dinner.

This place makes the best veggie burger in town. I've had some argumentative debates about this topic - as some people believe the Naam's got the claim to fame in the veggie burger category - but cafe deux soleils' soft, chewy, fluffy patty has a special place in my heart.

They have lots of other delicious bites on their dinner menu as well!

The Foundation Lounge

The foundation lounge is a popular East Van restaurant on Main Street which just happens to make amazing vegetarian eats.

This place is known for it's colossal nachos - which are cheesy goodness bedecked with black beans, corn and onions - but my heart lies with the OPPP and cheap beer.

Our Peanut Pesto Pasta - fusilli, brocolli, onions, spinach, sliced apples and tofu in a delicious creamy peanut and pesto sauce.

If you do check this place out, be prepared to wait in line, as it's consistently busy!

Oh and they like to play hip-hop music. Loudly.

MEAT AND BREAD

om nom nom.

This place is de-li-cious.

My friend raves that the porchetta sandwich is the best thing he has ever tasted.

But I got the grilled cheese, which was gooooey, stringy, sweet, and spicy heaven, if that is even possible.

You should check it out!.. This place ALMOST makes me want to eat meat!

http://www.meatandbread.ca/

CAMPAGNOLO RESTAURANTO

My friend and I went to this place last Friday night, and it was almost as if we had entered heaven, Italian heaven that is.

We ordered two appetizers and one main to share, and of course some wine!

The two appetizers were:

Crispy Ceci (which are chickpeas that have been flash-fried to taste like bliss) with chilies, mint and citrus.

Seared Octopus with nugget red potatoes, olives, lardo, and frise lettuce.

For the main, we got the Margherita pizza with mozzarella, tomato and basil.

Check out their website here: http://www.campagnolorestaurant.ca/

Cafe Deux Soleil

Cafe Deux Soleils is probably my favourite breakfast place in Vancouver, due to their amazing french toast and relaxed atmosphere. Located on Commercial Drive, they offer up a vegetarian-friendly breakfast and lunch menu, and delicious beverages (including homemade red and white wine sangria!). They house live bands every evening, and have a slam-poetry night at least once a month. If you live in Vancouver and enjoy veggie cuisine, you should definitely check this place out! Here's their website: http://www.cafedeuxsoleils.com/

Best french toast in town (yummmmmmmm!):

mmmmmmm cheese!

(at the District: http://www.thedistrictsocial.com/)

Dine Out Volume III: Salt Tasting Room

My last dine out was at Salt Tasting Room with my boyfriend. Salt is a tasting room that allows you to sample different types of cheese, wine, meat and condiments from all over the world.

To start off, I ordered a half bottle of pinot noir wine from the Burgundy region of France...

The appetizer was a curried coconut and root vegetable soup, and a shaved fennel salad with comte cheese and lemon dressing. The soup was delicious, however the salad was almost inedible. The compte cheese was very tasty, but the shaved fennel was just not my cup of tea!

For the main, I chose the cheese mongers plate, which was three cheeses and three condiments chosen by the Salt kitchen. These were: strathdon blue cheese from Britain with silmilkameen honey, mahon cheese from Spain with basque olives, and gubbeen cheese from Ireland with marcona almonds.

For dessert, we both chose the vanilla bean cheesecake with rhubarb compote and shaved almonds!

Overall, Dine Out at Salt was interesting. However, I think I would have preferred going on a regular night, so that I could choose the types of cheese and condiments, and the different types of wine to pair with each of the different cheeses.

For more information on Salt, check out their website: http://www.salttastingroom.com/

Dine Out Volume II: Chambar Belgian Restaurant

Second up on the Dine Out schedule was Chambar Belgian Restaurant, this time with my charming and wonderful boyfriend. Chambar is known for its traditional Belgian food, trendy ambiance and authentic (and strong) beer.

For the starter, I had la salade de betrave: marinated beets, watercress, sunflower seeds, crumbled feta and orange blossom dressing.

For the main, I chose the moules-frites vin blanc: mussels cooked with butter, white wine, braised celery and leeks, and coarse black pepper, served with french fries. It was very traditional Belgian fare and very delicious!

Lastly, I chose a dark chocolate and pecan torte for dessert, which was served with bourbon cream and caramel sauce.

For more information about Chambar, check out their website: http://www.chambar.com/

Next up and last on the Dine Out schedule.... Salt Tasting Room.

Dine Out Volume I: CinCin Ristorante + Bar

To continue our fine-dining adventures, my friend and I decided to challenge our food tasting experience at West with CinCin, an Italian restaurant renowned for its wood fire oven. Fortunately, it is one of my favourite times of year, Dine Out, where different restaurants in the Vancouver area offer three-course meals for affordable set prices. Like West, I had to take my sister's camera... so the quality of pictures are not the best.

To begin the night we ordered a bottle of an Amano 2006 Primitivo, one of Italy's oldest grapes. The wine menu at CinCin was daunting, at least 15 pages of new world and old world reds and whites, as while as an extensive list of sparkling wines and ports.

For my appetizer, I chose the baby romaine lettuce salad with grana padano cheese, gem tomatoes and a creamy roasted garlic vinaigrette; their version of an upscale caesar salad.

As an entree, I picked the wood oven roasted lingcod which was topped with a tomato basil crust and served with umbrian lentils and broccolini. The lentils were amazing; I never knew they could be saturated with so much flavour!

Lastly, for dessert I had a valhrona chocolate fondant with a honey anglaise and lemon sorbetto. The fondant was deliciously rich, however I found the pairing of the fondant and lemon sorbetto to be quite odd.

For more information about CinCin check out their website: http://www.cincin.net/

Up next on the Dine Out schedule... Chambar Belgian Restaurant!

My first dim sum experience!

Last weekend, one of my good friends took me out for dim sum, something which I had never tried before! She took me to Garden City Hot Pot, located in Richmond, a few blocks away from Aberdeen Shopping Center.

The first thing we ordered when we got there was tea from a distinguished selection of tea leaves, each type of tea possessing a different quality. I opted for rose tea, which was said to relax, while my friend chose a black oolong tea, which was said to be a fatty-acid burner.

After ordering tea, we ordered the dim-sum dishes! My friend selected a variety of dishes for us including:

• 蝦餃 (shrimp dumplings)
• 腸粉 (rice noodle rolls-which came with fried oysters)
• 腐皮捲 (tofu steamed roll-which were stuffed with prawns)
• 蘿蔔糕 (turnip cake)
• 蛋撻 (egg tarts)

Overall, it was a delicious experience! <3