Mini Post - Lupins Cafe on Grouse Mountain

My close group of friends have planned to do the Grouse Grind for a long time...and we finally went yesterday!

After a long 2.9 km hike up the mountain, we decided to reward ourselves with a fattening poutine!

Poutine!!!

I haven't tried much poutines before, probably only from New York Fries and Pit Pub from the SUB at UBC. I was told that if the cheese curd "squeaks" when you bite into it, then it is considered "good" cheese curds :P But unfortunately this one did not squeak :(

The fries of this poutine were amazingggg! Not sure if they were double cooked but they were sooo crispy! But my favourite fries are still the ones from A&W...though the ones at A&W seem much more oily. The gravy was not overly seasoned with salt.

Rating: 4/5
I was disappointed that the cheese curds didn't squeak :( but otherwise, it was really good! Definitely did not expect this from a cafe on Grouse Mountain.

Foodie Trip #1: Hapa Izayaka on Robson

Finally got to try Hapa Izayaka yesterday after seeing so many friends post pictures of the food on Facebook! I bought a Groupon in July ($15 for $30 worth of food, good for 2 to 4 people). So I ended up going with bf and his mom :)

We made a reservation for 6:30 p.m.. and the restaurant was quite full already!

Exterior of Hapa Izakaya

Ebi Mayo
Deep fried shrimp, tossed in a spicy mayonnaise sauce

Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps
Crispy pork belly, apple jam, pickled onion, butter lettuce

Ebi Mayo - This was my absolute favourite! The ebi mayo was the first dish that arrived, so it sort of set a standard for the dishes that were coming along. It was sort of like shrimp tempura but covered with a sauce that resembles the sweet and sour sauce. The batter was on the thick side, but the sweetness of the shrimp was still shown through.

Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps - I thought this was just alright. This reminded me of the Peking duck lettuce wraps. The down side was it did not come with enough lettuce for each pork belly. There were two pieces remaining that was just eaten on its own. But pork itself was seasoned nicely!

Yaki Udon
Thick udon noodles, stir-fried chicken, vegetables
(vegetarian version available upon request)

Ishi-Yaki (already mixed)
Rice, minced pork, flower chives, egg, tomato, lettuce, spicy miso, served in a hot stone bowl

Yaki Udon - Second favourite! :) The portion was quite small. It was enough for around 4-5 bowls. The only down side to the udon was I thought it was sort of wet for fried noodles.

Ishi-Yaki - Before heading to Hapa Izakaya, I read on various blogs that this was one of their best dish. So, we decided to give it a try! It was very similar to the Korean stone bowl rice. When it arrived at our table, it wasn't thoroughly mixed. All the ingredients were laid on top of the rice (just like the Korean style ones). The waitress helped us mix it...for some reason she had to flatten out the rice after all the mixing (not sure why :P)

Renkon Gyoza Tempura
Minced pork layered with lotus root, tempura

Crab Croquette
Dungeness crab, corn, Japanese BBQ sauce

Renkon Gyoza Tempura - We ordered this and the crab croquette after we finished the rice! This was definitely an interesting dish...that being said, it was something you can probably make at home if you are willing to invest in the time. There was lotus root between the gyoza wrapper and the batter. It added an extra "crunch" in addition to the fried batter.

Crab Croquette - This was probably the most disappointing dish we ordered. My first reaction was: "what?! only 3 pieces?!". But after finishing one piece, I was SO full. Inside has a thick creamy filling. I couldn't really taste the crab though. 

Rating: 3.5/5

We thought the portions were on the small side but we were kind of expecting it to be a light dinner! Though I have not tried other Japanese Tapas, Hapa Izakaya has definitely got me interested in the whole Japanese Tapas experience! But if it wasn't for the Groupon, I probably wouldn't have tried out the restaurant due to its price.

Location: 1479 Robson Street      Vancouver, BC V6G 1C1

World Wrap Place

I decided to take a stroll in Gastown after my volunteer shift in North Van. I came across this wrap place on Water Street! It isn't exactly a restaurant but a booth on the street with two tables and a couple plastic chairs. I actually wanted to sit down in a restaurant and have a quick lunch...but I thought I would give this a try ;)

World Wrap Place Menu

World Wrap Place - info sign

Small Mexican Chicken Wrap (without red onions)
Chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, fresh hot Jalapenos, sliced mushrooms, salsa and lots of Mozzarella

Half eaten small Mexican chicken wrap

I ordered the small Mexican chicken wrap because most likely I won't be able to finish a large...I wasn't sure of their portions. I opted out of the red onions...the raw onion taste is so displeasing :( Then the man (probably owner) who was making my wrap asked if I want medium or very spicy; I ended up getting medium! He popped the pita bread in the microwave to warm it up. While it was heating up, he went to the rotating spin to cut the donair meat (first time trying this :D!)

I was quite shocked about how generous they were with their portions. I thought the wrap that I got was probably considered "large". The chicken was marinated very nicely. The spices were quite different...never tried anything like this before. I had to take out the Jalapeno peppers after eating half of the wrap...it was too spicy!

Rating: 3/5
Definitely something interesting to try! I wish they had more seats outside the booth though. But if you are in the area and looking for a quick lunch, give this a try!

Location: 68 Water St  Ste 101         Vancouver, BC V6B 1A7

Benkei Ramen on Broadway

YAY for another ramen post!!

After volunteering in North Van, I wanted a quick ramen fix before my night class at UBC. The only ramen restaurant I could think that was on the way to UBC was Benkei on Broadway. It is easily accessible from Broadway City Hall station of the Canada Line.

I was quickly greeted by the waitress and was seated immediately. The restaurant was pretty empty (around 2 more tables were seated). I was seated at the bench table; I believe the bench table is for single or two diners.

Interior of Benkei Ramen (1)

Interior of Benkei Ramen - bench table (2)

Shoyu Ramen with extra noodles

I ordered extra noodles this time because last time I went here, the portions were quite small compared to Kintaro. I was quite disappointed when I received my ramen. Basically as you can see from the picture, you can barely see any ramen. It felt like they took half of what was originally in the bowl and put it on a separate plate and counted that as the "extra noodles". The soup base was pretty much flavour-less. And I thought it was kind of odd to put spinach in the noodles. Lastly, the pork was too dry for my liking. Note to self: never order shoyu ramen at Benkei again!

Rating: ♥ ♥ 

Location: 545 West Broadway   Vancouver, B.C.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Miso Ramen

After I finished volunteering in North Van a couple weeks later, I decided to give Benkei another try (mainly due to my ramen craving...I wish there are Kintaros everywhere!!).

This time I ordered miso ramen with no extra noodles (bad experience last time). Surprisingly, there were more noodles than the shoyu ramen and extra noodles combined! The miso soup was definitely a lot richer than shoyu. The pork was still very dry and not tender. But boy did I like the soup! I ended up drinking almost all of it (bad choice for such a hot day :'( ).

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

I gave it one more heart than last time because of the soup! The soup makes a big difference :)

Location: 545 West Broadway   Vancouver, B.C.

Kintaro Ramen

This is hands down the best restaurant for ramen! I have been having a ramen craving for the longest time, so I nagged my boyfriend to go with me :P

I have been reluctant to try other ramen restaurants because I believe nothing can beat Kintaro! The restaurant is very very small (probably fit 30-35 people max), so there is always a long line up! There used to be a Kintaro in Richmond across from Richmond Public Market...why did it close down :( I am kind of glad it did actually, otherwise I will have ramen everyday!

Outside Kintaro - line up

Inside Kintaro - open kitchen

Menu 

Shio Ramen (fat pork with rich soup base)With onions, bean sprouts, eggs, and bamboo shoots

The soup base comes in rich, medium and light. The pork is available in fat or lean. My favourite combination  of all time is Shio ramen with fat pork and rich soup base. Words cannot describe how good it tastes. I believe the soup is made from broiling pork bones. I always pick rich soup base because it has so much more flavour compared to medium or light bases. 

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

All in all, Kintaro never disappoints me. If you are in the downtown area and craving for ramen, go to Kintaro!! The wait is definitely worth it! You will know what I mean :D

Location: 788 Denman Street  Vancouver, BC V6G 2L5

Twisted Fork Bistro

My friends and I decided to go here for a gathering after our night class! We decided on French cuisine since we usually just settle for sushi or pho noodles. I was told the restaurant was really small so we might have to wait a bit for a table. Surprisingly, when we got there, only two tables were seated. Maybe perhaps we went on a Monday night :P

Interior - Bar

I didn't get to take a picture of other parts of the restaurant. But, they do have an open kitchen!

Cute "twisted fork" on the menu

Complimentary bread 

Definitely one of the better complimentary bread I have had! We were told by the waitress that the bread was fresh made. The butter was really soft; it sat on the bread very nicely. It melted in my mouth...so good!!

Duck Confit
Crisp confit duck leg served with bacon braised savoy cabbage, duck jus finished with house canned fruit ketchup

This is my favourite dish of all! There were some sort of veggies in the duck. It reminded me of Chinese preserved cabbage, which has a bit of tart flavour to it. I think the flavours of this dish blended together very well. 

Beef Shortribs (1) - beef and green beans on the crouton
Braised beef shortribs, off the bone served with sherry vinaigrette green beans, canned pears, house made BBQ sauce and baguette croutons

The beef shortribs wasn't really what we expected. It was definitely something different from the regular beef shortribs we normally eat. The beef was well marinated in the BBQ sauce; very juicy. But the beef is a bit stringy.

Fresh Mussels
One pound, with cream, herbs and fresh tomatoes, served with fries

My friends loved this dish! I thought it was kind of odd to serve mussels with fries. The fries were heavily salted. But the cream sauce was very delicious! It wasn't too heavy for cream sauce. The mussels did not have a fresh ocean taste, which was what I preferred. But, in general, the dish was not too spectacular.

Pan seared BC Halibut
Served with quinoa, swiss chard and grilled asparagus finished with a carrot chervil sauce and corn relish

I thought the highlight of this dish was the grilled asparagus. The halibut was a bit overcooked on the outside, which made it a bit rough. Definitely an interesting choice to serve it with quinoa though!

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 
Overall, I thought the food was just alright. I think the biggest problem was the dishes were not hot enough. We should have went with the waitress' suggestion of serving the dishes one by one.

Location: 1147 Granville Street  Vancouver, BC V6Z 1M1
http://www.twistedforkbistro.ca/

Nuba on Broadway

I went here with two of my good friends, Kerry and Ruby, before our night class at UBC. It was recommended by Kerry’s friend who likes to hunt for good authentic cuisines.  At first, Ruby and I were hesitant about Lebanese food as we had no idea what to expect. But, we decided to give it a try anyway!

Outside Nuba

Inside Nuba (1)

Inside Nuba (2)

Decorations of Nuba was very unique. Environment was very quiet. There were only two other tables that were seated when we were there.

Pita Bread

Najib's Special
Crispy cauliflower tossed with lemon and sea salt, served with tahini

Their menu is separated into 3 categories, mezze, plate and pita. The waitress suggested us to get plate since we are sharing. Plate includes hummus, salad, pickled cabbage, olives, pita bread and organic brown rice/roasted potatoes. The cauliflowers were probably the most unique dish of all three we tried. The lemon and salt complemented each other very well. But some will probably not like it because it is quite tart.

Chicken Tawook
Grilled mount lehman chicken breast marinated in paprika, thyme, lemon and garlic confit

The chicken was pretty standard. Nothing too special. It was not as tender as I liked it to be.

Beef Brochette
Local grass fed beef skewer grilled to perfection

The beef was my second favourite dish! The beef was really "grilled to perfection"; it was tender and juicy. It went well with the tahini sauce.

Rating: 4/5
The service was great; the waitress kept checking up on us. I guess the chicken threw me off a little. If it was more juicy, it would be great! If you are up for something new, definitely check out Nuba!

Location: 3116 West Broadway  Vancouver, BC  V6K 2H3
http://www.nuba.ca/