food & drink Archives - Page 111 of 115

Benkei Ramen – Broadway location

March 25, 2014

Benkei has a few locations in Vancouver, but we decided to go this one because we were in that area. It was hard for us to find parking, we ended up parking with the meter a few blocks down.

My visit was alright, but I was quite disappointed with their minimal meat portions (2 thinly cut pieces of chicken/cha shu), I don’t think the price of the ramen was justified when the bulk of it is just noodles and beansprouts.
When we first came in, the restaurant was probably 3/4 full. Their service here wasn’t as friendly as they used to be, they used to actually greet you when you walked in and smile.

They seemed very rushed and that they just wanted us to eat and leave right away. I noticed that their menu changed from the last time I came here, they added some different combo options depending on which ramen bowl you pick.
I decided on getting the shio ramen, $8.50. The broth was very flavourful and they gave a generous amount of onions and beansprouts. I thought this dish was alright except for the chicken, which I was disappointed with. Instead of having the cha-shu (type of pork) with your ramen, you can substitute it for chicken which is leaner and lower in fat.

I personally prefer chicken so I opted for this, however the two slices of chicken was small and really thin. I felt like they should have been more generous with the amount of meat in their dishes.

The boyfriend ordered the miso ramen, $8.50. Again, we felt that the cha-shu portion was really small and that they could have given us more for the price we were paying. Other than that, everything tasted pretty good. He also sprinkled sesame on his noodles which gave it more flavour, I used chili paste instead.

In conclusion, we enjoyed the broth and noodles of our dishes. However, their meat portions were really small which was disappointing and I don’t feel like the price of the ramen were justified.

I would probably go to Kintaro or Santouka for ramen since they have bigger portions and friendlier service.

Moii Cafe

March 25, 2014

Moii Cafe is a cute little cafe off of Cambie. However, they also have a crepe section, which is a good addition if you’re craving something sweet to indulge in.

There are so many cute little quirks about this cafe, which makes it stand out from the hundreds of cafes in Vancouver!
The first thing I see when I step into the cafe. I love antique furniture.

I love this section of Moii. The chalkboard menu is brilliant, it was very informative even though it didn’t fill up the whole wall. I love the different colours on the menu.

The small shelf of vintage Archie comics and nutella wall are a cute plus too!
This is part of the seating area. There are mini tables, but also a long one in the middle (it’s a bit cut out here) for conversation with a bigger group. There’s also a small room in the corner, which isn’t really a room? More like a wall frame but it gives you a sense of privacy. There were vintage albums on those walls as well.
I ordered an americano. Originally, I wanted to get tea but I thought it was a bit pricy. Tea was $4.25 while coffee was cheaper, so I settled on this. It tasted like a regular americano, nothing too special about it.

However, I gave some to the boyfriend after I left and he said it tasted watery, it tasted fine to me. I would love to come back here to try their crepes though.
This thing right here is what made me fall in love with Moii. As I was sipping my americano and waiting for my interviewee, I noticed this small wooden box and the picture above it.

For a person like me who loves and appreciates the art of writing, especially on actual paper, I was really happy to see this. It was also really refreshing to see, because these days we are used to everything being online.

In conclusion, I enjoyed my visit here due to the ambiance and atmosphere. I read on another blog that this place is owned by an Emily Carr graduate, which totally makes sense because of all the artistic elements Moii has. The ambiance is what stood out to me the most, and what sets it apart from other coffee shops.

A&W – Fast food coupons!

March 19, 2014

I’ve had a pretty school-intensive week, so this post is just for fun, short and sweet. Seeing that we didn’t have anything to cook and didn’t want to spend a lot of money, we saw forgotten coupons hidden under a few clothes and decided to go there.

I was so excited for the 30 minutes we were at home waiting for my laundry to finish so that we could go! I love this location because they give you these awesome frozen mugs for your root beer and cool metal fry baskets.

a&w root beer! SO GOOD, especially in these frozen glass mugs. The foam on the top actually turned to ice because of the mug.
Our two teen burgers, root beers, and fries.
YUMMMM. A&W claims to have 100% natural beef, free of preservatives, hormones, and ll of that unpleasant stuff. The onions and pickles in here were also so fresh and crunchy. Definitely an amazing burger for a fast food joint! I didn’t feel stuffed or gross afterwards like I usually do after having fast food, so I guess their ingredients are pretty good for fast food.

Also, I thought this wall was really cute 🙂

-Carmen

Pekoe Tea Lounge

March 17, 2014

I am so excited to share this review with you! I stumbled upon this place completely by accident, the boyfriend and I were at the hospital visiting someone and after we left, we noticed there was still quite a bit of time on the meter.

We decided to check out Pekoe Tea Lounge which was right across from the hospital. Finding cute and quaint cafes make me so happy, I’m glad we stumbled upon this hidden gem.

They have a broad tea selection (Probably more than David’s Tea just to give you an idea), and the sitting area is absolutely lovely. It’s a perfect place for conversation over a delicious cup of steaming, hot tea.

Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was the shelves on shelves and shelves of tea. There was a lovely table featuring mini tins of their tea selection for customers to see and smell before ordering. I probably spent about 5 minutes going around the table smelling each tea that caught my eye.

I love how they have this feature as opposed to places like David’s Tea or Teavana, where you have to ask the worker to smell the different teas. You can also buy tea tins in different sizes.

I finally settled on ordering the Hawaiian Cocktail, a herbal fruit tea that consisted of candied pineapples, papayas, mangoes, and lemon peel.

My favourite teas at the moment are fruity teas, and although they had a huge selection of fruity teas, I picked this one because it smelled really fruity and sweet. The mangoes in it smelled so good! I enjoyed the fruity aroma and taste of this tea.
The boyfriend got the Jasmine Dragon Pearls, which smelled really good as well. Also, not sure if you notice on the cup, but the sleeve was an advertisement for a Japanese airline. All the workers spoke Japanese as well so I’m assuming this place is Japanese-run!
Here are the fancy and detailed glass cups you can get if you choose to drink your tea in store. We came 15 minutes before closing so there wasn’t a point of ordering it for here, it also cost a bit more.

I was reading reviews afterwards, and a food blogger mentioned that this seemed unsanitary since the top cups are just lying face up in the open.
All in all, we really enjoyed our fast but enjoyable visit to Pekoe Tea Lounge. I’m really glad we discovered this place, we will definitely be back again! I wish this place was open later because it would be perfect to go after a dinner date 😉

-Carmen

East Cafe

March 16, 2014

East Cafe has this certain charm to it. Maybe it’s the atmosphere, or the genuine service, or their vintage Vancouver decor and photographs. I came here with two friends recently and we had a wonderful time.
I love the vintage bicycles on their walls. They also have pictures of Vancouver from the past, which I really love..

It also gives East Cafe a really local feel to it which I love. There were a lot of pictures from hockey teams in the 1900s, different bands, as well as what different neighbourhoods looked like.

Vegetarian panini on grilled foccacia with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, roma tomatoes, Swiss cheese, spinach, and pesto mayo. All paninis are served with a hot pepper and Lays chips.
Prosciutto panini with boccincini cheese, roma tomatoes, red onions, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pesto mayo. The prosciutto and pesto was amazing!
Montreal smoked meat panini with Swiss cheese, mustard, and caramelized onions. Again, this was so good! The melted Swiss cheese was so delicious and dreamy.
Almond croissant with filling. So good! Light, fluffy, and crispy!
Nutella cookie. It tasted like homemade cookies, which is good and bad. Good because it’s delicious and gives you a comfy feeling, but bad because you can easily just bake this at home for a cheaper price.

This was my second time, and I didn’t order espresso this time. I ordered a wildberry tea, which I asked for iced and they gladly accommodated my requests. I have had the espresso here before though, I would say that it’s quality espresso and has a sweet and fresh finish to it. You can really taste the quality in it.

All in all, although East Cafe is relatively new, it has made it’s mark in Vancouver’s coffee culture. East Cafe exhibits an authentic and local character, while still staying cute and charming. Of course, their food and drink is absolutely delicious as well.