Restaurant review - Denny's (Birch and Broadway)

LF and I were talking about how some people disagree that a food critic is serious when he/she eats HP Sauce and ketchup (a complaint I heard from someone who criticized one of my restaurant reviews). Truth is, I believe that these sauces are important for brunch items. At any rate, I love brunch with friends and I know that some people may hate Denny's, but truthfully it wasn't bad. It was actually really good.

C, B and KW had asked me if I wanted to do brunch with them on Thanksgiving Day, so I agreed and when they picked me up, they suggested Denny's. We had done brunch there before so I had no complaints. This time I tried the meatloaf and it was really good. My friend B got a bit of debris on her sandwich, but I think that was an accident. So, overall, I'd say Denny's is good food for the value.

I couldn't find UrbanSpoon's site for Denny's, so I can't link there. But here is the link to the website. And the best part, as I've often emphasized, that I got to hang out with C, B and KW. I really appreciate their support throughout thick and thin. They've really stood up for me whenever I've needed. They've consoled me, fed me, encouraged me and made me laugh. I am very lucky with my group of friends.

Much to say, too little time

So you'll have to apologize my point-form post...

• M's birthday was on Monday, and I was so crazy busy trying to finish a major piece of work that I completely forgot. It wasn't until Thursday that she reminded me and I feel SO guilty about having forgotten her birthday like you have no idea. Given M's sense of loyalty and dedication to her friends, family and work, I feel twice as guilty. Admittedly, I was super stressed. But I should have made sure to send her a birthday email. Luckily I do have her birthday gift already and I'll take her out for dinner to make up for my forgetfulness.

• Had a wonderful American Thanksgiving dinner thanks to the hospitality of M and K. Good friends of mine C and H were also there, as well as three other friends of the hosts. Lots of laugh, good food, and great times. And yeah, I'm still a light-weight. Two and a half glasses of wine made my evening quite the experience, he he he.

• One of my best friends, who is now living a split life between Madrid and Mexico City, called me this morning. It was so nice to hear his voice again. We met in Vancouver around a decade ago, and we have maintained a very strong bond despite the physical distance. This friend of mine (CB) is very successful and it was nice to catch up as though no time had passed.
  

• My best friend from high school's birthday (LEAD) was yesterday, November 22nd. I really did intent to call him but I've been running around so much it was pretty much impossible. Oh, well, I'll have to make it up when I visit.

• My great friends C and B managed to sneak a visit with KW, since she's visiting them for American Thanksgiving. Since C and B will have a ton of friends over for these holidays, I know that it'll be a complete madhouse at their place. But we managed to do lunch together (at Denny's of all places, and it was quite good) and then we did coffee on Granville Island. Spending time with C and B and KW is always really fun, and I got to meet JN's mom and brother too. Very nice people. I still can't believe I've done so much socializing in the past day!
  

On a funny note, while walking around, KW noticed a really cute guy and when I turned left to see who she was talking about, guess who it was? One of the Ashmore twins! I am not sure if it was Aaron Ashmore or Shawn Ashmore (I would probably guess it was Aaron since the Screenwriters Guild of America is on strike, and perhaps Smallville is on hiatus -- thus giving him some time to walk around Granville Island's Market, but I'm not totally sure). He is strikingly handsome in person (I have met other actors in person and they are usually not as good looking in real life as they look on TV). And the funny thing is (oh beautiful laid-back Vancouver) that nobody really seemed to care that he was a TV star. Everyone let him do his thing (he was hanging out with friends of him, apparently). Ah, to live in the West Coast...

The next few days will be crazy so don't expect content to be posted very frequently. But I'll keep you on the loop, I promise.

Coffee shop review - Esquires Coffee

Located at the corner of 16th Avenue and Oak, Esquires is a cute coffee shop that also has wireless internet. I have had some good coffees here, particularly with close friends. There's also a nice pastry/coffee/deli shop right across the street (Max's), but I definitely enjoy Esquires as I can work on my laptop there.

Restaurant review - Favorito Pasta Trattoria

I am known for my love of Italian food, and I jump at every opportunity that I get to either make it or go out for dinner and have it. With my Mom’s recent visit to Vancouver, B and C offered to take us out for dinner and we settled on Favorito Pasta Trattoria (552 Broadway, pretty much between Ash and Cambie). Favorito has pretty much every Italian dish you want, although I again settled for something a bit fusion – penne with curry. I know, oh the heresy!

With all the construction around the Canada Line, I have made a point of eating around Cambie more often (support local business is one of my mottos). So, I was pleased to go to Favorito (even if it isn’t technically located ON Cambie, it’s close enough). The food was excellent, and the service was impeccable. Of course, the best part was the company. C and B are married and they have always made me feel part of their family, and I am very grateful for having friends like them.

I would recommend Favorito, although I found that the music was a bit too loud for me. But I am sure they’d compromise if you asked them to turn the volume down, as the service was excellent and attentive. And the best part of it all? The food is not expensive. So, good food, great service and your wallet won’t have a hole… what else can you ask for?

PS – In addition to another friendly reminder to sponsor me and encourage you to donate for A Loving Spoonful (again, the money goes directly to the charity – Blogathon only keeps track of who has raised how much money) I would also like to encourage you to comment. Many people are awake already (I noticed comments on Miss604’s blog and other Blogathon-related blogs, so I decided to open up my comments and leave them non-moderated). Throw ideas, comment on the content, encourage us.

PPS – I hate that most corner stores will open until 9 or 10 am. Didn’t anybody tell them that I need breakfast food? I’m getting hungry! So now I’ll be forced to go to one of the 24 hours stores that charges a premium for the mere fact that they are open 24 hours (well, that’s the convenience right?).

Restaurant review - Capricorn Restaurant & Grill

I had wanted to come to Capricorn for years, even before I moved out of the neighborhood (I used to live around the Fairview Slopes area, and for a while there I moved closer to Cambie and Broadway). The décor is beautiful and sophisticated, and I can’t really remember why I never got around to eating here in almost a decade.

We had tried to come here on Sunday night a couple of times, but they’re closed on Sunday nights, so it hadn’t worked out. Up until recently, when we actually ate here on a weekday. And I am going to have to say that I don’t understand why I hadn’t come here earlier.

I ordered Cajun penne pasta with chicken, and it was really good. The food is well cooked, and the décor is very pretty. Granted, we got there too early during the day to actually see the lights but it was overall a very nice experience, not only for the company (a great friend of mine) but also for the actual meal. It wasn’t expensive, contrary to what you could expect on the Broadway corridor. Apparently this area is filled with nice inexpensive restaurants. I had dinner at Favorito Trattoria recently and it was very good too (but that’s the subject of another review).

Located on Broadway close to Ash (656 Broadway), on the south side of the street, I would very much recommend Capricorn for dinner. Never been for lunch, though I am curious about their lunch features. Will tell you more about it later.

Coffee shop review - The Wicked Cafe

Who wouldn't dare to have coffee here with a slogan like this: "Coffee You'd Sell Your Soul For". I kid you not. That's the slogan of the Wicked Cafe. I mean, I am not ready to sell my soul as of yet so I figured I'd try it and see if it is all worth what they say it is. To be honest, it didn't go well with me that they said they had just run out of regular coffee (I only buy the lavish mocha or capuccino's when I really want to give myself a really nice treat, and tonight I am only doing work so no excuse, really).

So I settled for some Apple Amaretto tea. The second thing that didn't go well was that since I had a loose-leaf tea, they gave me a small container to leave my bag. The only problem is that the container is so small that to leave your bag you need to really be a master maneuverer. And since the container is metal-based, if your bag is hot you're bound to get burned.

Those two things out of the way, on to the really nice things about Wicked Cafe:

First, it's off the beaten path. It is located on 7th and Hemlock, so even though this is South Granville - Fairview Slopes, it's not really all that crowded. You do find lots of people as Hemlock is one of the major routes to get to downtown from the Granville and Broadway area, but the coffee shop itself is not located along a 'common' route.

Second, the cafe has wireless internet, and that's a great advantage. The actual signal was quite powerful and I could work really well there. There are two small problems (for me) working there. One is that there aren't lots of power outlets. The second one is that a lot of really interesting people walk in and out of the coffee shop. So I get easily distracted (as I love people-watching).

I would definitely come here to have a coffee and chat with friends of mine who live around the South Granville area. I probably wouldn't sell my soul for this coffee but I really enjoyed it. I am quite puzzled about the fact that there's an eatery right beside that I should really try at some point.

Restaurant review - Memphis Blues

My brother loves BBQ ribs, and he vouches for Memphis Blues Barbeque House all the time. I am not really a rib kind of guy so I always thought I would never set foot in this place. Well, I did and I am glad I did. They have BBQ chicken breast, sandwiches, burgers, etc. So the place really is awesome and caters to every taste. They have two locations that I know of, one on Commercial Drive (for East Vaners) and one on Broadway between Hemlock and Granville (for those Fairview Slopes-South Granvillers).

Restaurant review - Kishu Mountain

Located in one of the weirdest corners I've ever seen in Vancouver (Broadway and Willow), this little Japanese restaurant offers some of this city's best sushi at the lowest prices you can get. I went with C, B, N and J (all good ol' friends from a few years back, when I lived in a residential college whose name I'd rather not cite).

I'll mention about the food first and then anecdotes from the evening. The sushi is excellent, the udon is really tasty (we ordered chicken and beef udon), and the final bill was amazingly low. Kishu is not only a nice place and has great food, but is also really inexpensive. They have Happy Hour after 7:00pm, with 40% discount on selected items. We ordered as much food as we wanted to and ended up full.

Now, in case you didn't know, Vancouver is one of those cities where the owners and staff of a Mexican restaurant will in fact be from Hong Kong. Yes, I am not kidding. I could attest to that when I spoke Japanese to the waitress. She could not understand a word of what I said. *sigh*

This particular group of friends is multicultural albeit with a strong Asian flavor. C is as Canadian as he can get, but speaks fluent Mandarin (he better as his wife is from Taiwan!). J, though American, speaks fluent Japanese given that he just came back from his Monbugakuksho two-year stint in Japan, N is Japanese and B is Taiwanese. I didn't really need to chat with the waitress since both N and J speak Japanese, but at times the conversation really went all over the place. We ended up mixing up languages all night long and had such a fun time I am still smiling. As C would say, "there was much rejoicing"

Eatery review - Curry Point (UBC and Cambie)

Those of us who love Indian food and happen to be all the time on the go really appreciate having a place where you can go, consistently find good food, very filling and at a reasonable price. I have been a customer of Curry Point for perhaps a decade (not 100% sure on this one, but I am sure that I've eaten here at least since 2000).

The original Curry Point I knew is located in the basement of the University Village (often called the 'Food Court', although there are so many new restaurants in the village that I think they'll need to actually name that area so that people can recognize it!). The owners must have been super successful because they recently opened another branch, located on Broadway between Cambie and Ash.

I have been to both locations. The downside of the UBC location is that it is ALWAYS packed. The line to order food sometimes blocks other establishments, which I find quite annoying. It's almost impossible to find seating if you want to eat on site at lunch time. The downside of the Cambie location is that it is small and can make you feel a bit claustrophobic. The upside of both establishments is that the food is consistently good.

Their butter chicken, curry chicken, curry lamb and potatoes and onions are must-haves. Lunch can be around $ 7.00 if you order a combo with two meat items, pop and naan bread. The only things you need to keep in mind are: First, when you eat lunch at Curry Point, you have to forget about dinner. I have had lunch at 11.30am and still feel the need to continue processing food by midnight of the same day. Second, if you eat at Curry Point UBC, arrive early (or late) so that you can actually seat. The food is excellent! And they have plenty of vegetarian options.

Restaurant review - Banana Leaf

Banana Leaf is actually one of those restaurants that I feel confident about recommending (and reviewing). I think the last time I was at the Banana Leaf was around 1997. So, it had been a decade since I last had set foot in this restaurant. I vaguely remembered that it was good and that there were certain flavours that were typical (peanuts, curry, spices, coconut milk).

Banana Leaf's food is not only good... is is EXCELLENT! With three locations in the Vancouver area (two on the Broadway corridor and one in the West End), Banana Leaf brings you the best in Malaysian food. I ordered the Rendang Chicken Curry (which is more than enough food even if you are really hungry) and committed the mistake of over-eating by ordering six assorted Satay skewers. The food was amazing and not really expensive (as you can see from their meat and vegetable menu). That being said, there are some more expensive items I would have to try when I want to splurge and indulge (lobster, for example).

Dinner was in the realm of $ 40 bucks for two people (fairly inexpensive for the amount of food we had!) and the service was prompt and corteous. Small catch - make reservations. I am not kidding you. This place gets so full and the line-ups are so long that I've actually declined to wait in line (M and I went there two times before and tried to get in - to no avail!). The decor and ambience is nice, and they have some really neat drinks (lychee mojito, for example!).

Restaurant review: Paul's Place Omelettery

I had previously reviewed this amazing place on Granville (and I think 6th Avenue, but don't trust me on this one). However, I had read other reviews that indicated that it was way too busy so I was a bit worried this morning, as I went to Paul's Place for brunch with H and his girlfriend. Got to give Paul's my congratulations. I mean, we got there about 10.50am, we were seated by 11.05, we had coffee by 11.15 and our food was on our table by 11.30am. UNBELIEVABLE. And the beef hash is to-die-for.

The best part was really the company, as we had a great brunch and then headed to go shopping for furniture... Ah, I was born to shop. If only I had been born with a bottom-less credit card attached, that would've been fantastic.

Restaurant review - DeDutch Pannekoek House.

Well, I finally set foot in DeDutch Pannekoek House. I went today for breakfast/brunch to the Oak and 16th Avenue location. Now, before doing my restaurant review, I should say that I am actually grateful, not so much for the restaurant, but for the friend who took me there (I was feeling quite depressed and thus it was very nice to go for brunch with her -- again, thank God for friends!!!).

Anyhow, I digress... We ordered standard brunch fare (scrambled eggs, sausage, toast) and I got garden salad as a side. Salad. Ok, that was VERY weird. But I was so hungry (and the dressing was so nice) that I ate it all. Then I went to my brunch items. You can't screw up scrambled eggs, really. The coffee was great, but as far as brunch goes, I was, quite frankly, unimpressed. Maybe it was the fact that I did not actually order pancakes (the house specialty) but the prices seemed steep for what we get. I would not go a second time unless absolutely pressed.