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Curiously Carmen

Kilala Sushi

October 2, 2016

Earlier in the summer, myself, the boyfriend, and Sangria decided to venture out from our usual sushi joints and try a longstanding but hidden restaurant, Kilala Sushi. They’ve been around for awhile now, and I hear their name getting tossed around from time to time.

Kilala Sushi is an authentic Japanese restaurant, run solely by a husband and wife team. They also specialize in distributing tamago for various restaurants in Vancouver, so this place is half restaurant/half tamago-making factory? I say that because the sitting area itself is quite small but you can see that the back is a bit factory like, with a very big stainless steel kitchen.
Kilala SushiAppetizer sashimi, $5.95: The appetizer sashimi comes with three pieces of tuna, and two pieces of salmon. The salmon was average, but the tuna was really good. It was very soft and buttery, and melted in your mouth.
Kilala Sushi 2Tamago roll, $2.25: As I mentioned above, they specialize in tamago, so it was only natural to try it! The tamago was sweet, fluffy, and tasted fresh. I really liked how it had a fluffy texture, as a lot of places I’ve been to have a harder texture with dried edges (which means it’s not fresh and has fried out).

Negitoro roll, $3.00: The boyfriend and I ALWAYS order negitoro roll, so we had to try Kilala’s version of it! It was pretty good, and above average. Just like the tuna sashimi, the tuna in here was also soft and buttery. It was filled with lots of green onion too. They definitely did not skimp out on the tuna and the onion.
Kilala Sushi 1Hmmm, I don’t recall what these two rolls were called and I can’t find anything similar on the online menu! Sorry.

Even though I don’t remember what they were called, I remember how they tasted! Both tasted very fresh, and were filling. Just look at how big that salmon sashimi is inside the roll!

All in all, Kilala serves quality and authentic sushi, and the three of us enjoyed our meal. Everything was fresh, and even though there was only one server (the wife, husband was the chef), service was quick and friendly.

The only downside of this place is that it is quite hidden behind a bush and the seating is also a cramped.

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Kilala Sushi Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Filed Under: food & drink, japanese Tagged: burnaby, food, food blogger, food review, foodie, fresh, japanese, negitoro, salmon, sashimi, seafood, sushi, tamago, tuna, vancouver, yvr

Mr. Red Cafe

September 26, 2016

This visit should be officially named as ‘Two girls who knew they ordered too much, but everything is good here so they had to order a lot’.

I’ve been meaning to try Mr. Red Cafe for months now, if not almost a year! Every time we drive by, I make a mental note to try it but it never works out. Well, I was finally able to try it back in June! This is a review of their original location in East Van. Based on the success and popularity of this location, another one opened on Broadway Street earlier this year.

Mr. Red Cafe is not your typical Vietnamese restaurant! Their dishes and food are based on northern Vietnamese cuisine, which is slightly different from the usual which is the south.
Mr Red1Rare beef & beef ball pho: A $9 bowl of pho is more than I’m used to paying, but it was pretty good. I liked how it was not oily.

Even though they don’t use MSG, there was still the standard broth taste to it and I did not leave the restaurant thirsty! Overall, the pho was really great quality and the portion was big, with lots of meat, so I can see why they charge a bit more than normal.
Mr RedSpecial beef noodle pho: Macaroni has been here a few times already, and this is her go-to pho each time. The broth is the same, but the ‘special’ part just means there is an assorted selection of meat. You can see the generous portion of meat that they serve, and how clear the broth is! We both really enjoyed our pho.
Mr Red2Sticky rice & mung bean dumpling: Most of the reason why I really wanted to try Mr. Red Cafe is because my friend, and fellow food blogger, Eatmunchlove, couldn’t stop raving about these. And they sounded delicious too! So, even though I had already ordered a pho, I couldn’t come here without trying these.

The inside of this filled with mung bean, pork floss, and green rice. I really enjoyed the chewy texture to these. I haven’t had green rice before so I’m not sure what it’s supposed to taste like, but it was salty and sticky as well.

I LOVE my savoury/salty foods and would pick salty over dessert, so I really loved this dish! The sticky rice makes it REALLY filling, and I felt sooo uncomfortably full after having the pho and one of these. So, I ended up bringing the second one home and my mom ended up eating it.
Mr Red 3Banh mi: Macaroni already knew she would not be able to finish both the giant bowl of pho AND this sandwich, but she said it was really good so she had to order it anyways. She ended up taking half of it back home as well!

I had a bite of the banh mi, and it was incredibly delicious and oh so fresh. The bread was lightly toasted, while the veggies were super fresh and crunchy.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mr. Red and wish I had come sooner! Although the prices are slightly more than I’m used to for Vietnamese food, the quality and portion is very evident. The service was also quick and efficient, and the restaurant was clean and comfortable.

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Mr. Red Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Filed Under: food & drink, vietnamese Tagged: banh mi, canada, food, food blogger, foodie, northern vietnam, pho, vancouver, vietnam, vietnamese, vietnamese food

Olive & Anchor

September 20, 2016

During the last week of summer, the boyfriend and I went to a bunch of different outdoor places around the Lower Mainland to savour what was left of the season. One of these places was the beautiful Whytecliff Park, which is a bit past West Vancouver and by the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal.

After enjoying an afternoon at Whytecliff Park, we decided to venture to Horseshoe Bay. Four minutes drive later, we arrived into the small but lively village and decided to try Olive & Anchor after I found it on Yelp!

I am really glad we tried this place because everything about it was spectacular!
Olive & Anchor RestaurantSince we had already quickly looked at the menu on Yelp, we knew we wanted to try their happy hour. I also really wanted to try this place because most of their happy hour items were dairy free! Olive & Anchor has some Asian influences in their dishes, which explains why there wasn’t dairy in a number of their plates.
Olive & Anchor Horseshoe BayEbi mayo, $6: We started off with the ebi mayo, which was a shrimp and green bean tempura. After seeing this at another table, it looked kinda small and we were kinda doubtful that it was worth $6.

However, the tempura was fried really nicely and had a lovely crunch to it. It came with Japanese mayo, which we both love a lot. If you haven’t tried Japanese mayo before, I urge you to try it out!
Olive & Anchor VancouverKFC (Korean Fried Chicken) Wings, $6: The chicken wings came in a delicious sweet chili glaze, topped with crunchy cashews and sesame seeds.

The wings were juicy and full of flavour. Just like the ebi mayo, the fried batter on these wings tasted really fresh as well.
Olive & Anchor Horseshoe Bay VancouverCrispy cod taco, $6: I am normally not a fan of tacos (cue GASPS) but I was feeling adventurous that day and ordered this. BOY, am I GLAD I did because this was delicious. This taco right here is starting to convert me into a taco person!

The cod was fried perfectly, while the fish was juicy and flaked off nicely. The taco came with a generous amount of fresh veggies and a slice of avocado. I was seriously considering ordering another one but stopped myself.
Olive & Anchor Horseshoe Bay 1Fish poppers, $6: These were like mini fish fillets. Again, the fish was juicy and flaky with a very fresh and crunchy batter. So good!

Olive & Anchor really wowed us not only with their food, but with their service as well. Our server was really friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. I wish that all servers were this amazing.
Olive & Anchor Take outI have nothing but good words to say about Olive & Anchor. I wish we discovered this place at the beginning of summer, so we could take advantage of the outdoor seating and ferry view more. But, I know that we will definitely be back!
yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Olive & Anchor Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Filed Under: food & drink, happy hour, japanese, korean, seafood Tagged: chicken, ebi mayo, fish, fish taco, food, food blogger, food review, foodie, happy hour, korean, seafood, vancouver, vancouver dining, vancouver eats

Jia Plus Fusion Cafe

September 9, 2016

I don’t know about you, but I rarely venture out to Pitt Meadows. There hasn’t ever really been a reason to hang out in Pitt Meadows, until now! One of my friends opened up a cute little cafe in Pitt Meadows last year, in Osprey Village.

We were pretty surprised at how fast the drive was to Pitt Meadows! It was a bit under 30 minutes from Burnaby. Without traffic, the drive is really smooth and easy.
Jia Plus10 Osprey Village is a new development in Pitt Meadows right by the river. It reminded me of a quaint little seaside village, similar to Steveston but a lot more quieter, community focused, and no salt water smell.

There is one central street, which is lined with little boutique stores. There is also plenty of parking, and also a big parking lot for visitors!
Jia Plus9If you didn’t already guess by the name, Jia Plus serves Asian style beverage and snacks. All the syrups are made daily by Vicky, and the teas are brewed fresh! The price is really reasonable as well.

Jia Plus1The cafe has five tables inside and does not feel cramped at all. There are also a couple of patio seats, which are perfect for the summer! The high ceilings and warm lights makes it feel very comfortable.

The artwork inside the cafe is actually a partnership with a local art gallery down the block, and customers are able to purchase the original pieces.
Jia Plus5Passion fruit green tea w/ pearls: It had all the qualities that I looked for in a bubble tea, and more. The jasmine green tea and a really fragrant and floral flavour, which is my absolute favourite when it comes to green tea. I am very picky about my jasmine green tea and this one tasted absolutely perfect. In addition, the pearls had the perfect chewy consistency and tasted fresh.

Unfortunately, I don’t recall exactly what my friends ordered. However, they all also really enjoyed their drinks!
Jia Plus6Ramen: Apart from the drinks, Jia Plus also has some food items as well! The majority of us ordered the ramen. Vicky cooks the broth from scratch, and you can really taste the quality in it. The ramen also comes with a slice of tender pork, egg, and bamboo shoots. It was very comforting and filling, perfect for the cloudy day when we visited.
Jia Plus7BBQ Chicken Rice Bowl: I know, it doesn’t look like a rice bowl right? The rice was actually underneath the greens! Sadly, I didn’t get to try this because the dressing had dairy in it. However, my friends are also all foodies and I trust their opinion when they said it was really good!
Jia Plus8Jia Plus also offers cute little macaroons!

All in all, Jia Plus is a fantastic little cafe with one of the best green teas in the Vancouver area. Everything is made with quality, and you can definitely taste it.

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

JIA PLUS Fusion Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Filed Under: coffee and tea, food & drink, japanese, taiwanese Tagged: asian fusion, bubble tea, cafe, coffee shop, food, food blog, food blogger, foodie, ramen

CHOP Steakhouse & Bar – Richmond, BC Location

August 26, 2016

For the boyfriend’s birthday, he wanted to have a good ol’ piece of hearty steak. Since we usually go to The Keg for steak, he wanted to try a new place so we went to CHOP Steakhouse & Bar in Richmond! The restaurant is connected to a hotel, and easiest to get to by car.

There are also other CHOP restaurants in Canada! From my knowledge, CHOP is currently a small Canadian chain.
ChopI had made reservations on Open Table for an early dinner, at 6 pm. When we arrived, the parking lot was completely full! We ended up parking on the hotel side, which was still a really quick walk. The outside of the restaurant looked pretty modern and posh.

There were lights on the ground that would illuminate really nicely should we have come after dusk.
Chop5We were quickly seated, and the restaurant was pretty empty, save for a few other tables. Other parties ended up coming in as well, but it was nowhere as busy as The Keg would be. I guess this place isn’t really located in a residential neighbourhood or an entertainment district either, which explains the quieter venue!

We didn’t mind the quietness, as we were seated in a little corner of the restaurant that had a nice view of the statue pictured above! Our table also had this really big, modern wire ball lamp above our table. It felt a lot cooler to sit here than at the other tables 😉
Chop1It was an special occasion, so of course drinks were ordered!

Caesar, $6.99: The boyfriend’s go-to drink, after beer. He really enjoyed the caesar. The celery stalk inside the drink was really long, it went all the way to the bottom of his cup! Although I don’t normally like caesars, I found this one pretty tolerable to drink so that is saying something =P

Pink lemonade, $7.49: This girl loves her fruity cocktails. The pink lemonade came with lemonade, raspberry liquor, soda, and a scoop of raspberry sorbet on top. I absolutely loved this drink and couldn’t stop sipping it. You could barely taste the alcohol, it tasted like a raspberry lemonade instead. The drink tasted better with the sorbet mixed inside.
Chop2Tuna tataki, $14.95: As an appetizer, we decided to order the tuna tataki because the boyfriend looooves tuna tataki. Unfortunately, this dish was really disappointing. The tuna was pretty hard on the outside and tasted as though it had been prepared awhile ago and left in the fridge.

It also did not melt in our mouths the way delicious tuna sashimi should. Other than the lack of freshness, the fried onions and sauce were both really flavourful.
Chop4Bread, complimentary: The bread was served nice and warm, with no complaints!
Chop6Filet mignon, $39.95: On to the main course! I had my heart set on the prime rib, but changed my mind last minute and ordered the filet mignon, cooked medium rare. The filet mignon came with a red wine reduction, and I chose fries as my side.

Due to my dairy restriction, I had asked our server to double check that the steak was not slathered with butter or another dairy product prior to cooking. She had assured me it wasn’t, but after a couple small bites, I could definitely taste butter. I asked her again and she suddenly had this ‘OH CRAP’ look on her face and brought it back right away, LOL. Turns out they do cook the filet mignon in butter.

Because of this, they had to bring it back to the kitchen and made one without dairy. I actually liked the plain filet mignon more because I like my steaks very simple, usually only with a dash of salt and pepper. If the steak is any good, you don’t need to drown it in seasoning and sauce.

It was cooked a nice, medium rare and was sooo incredibly tender and delicious.
Chop7Rib eye, $37.95: Unlike how I was set with the prime rib before changing my mind last minute, the boyfriend stuck to his original decision and ordered the rib eye. When we were looking up the menu a few nights prior, he knew immediately that he wanted the rib eye!

The rib eye was cooked a perfect medium rare as well, and was extremely tender and full of fragrant spices. The boyfriend enjoyed the rib eye a tremendous amount, and thought it was the perfect dish to have on his birthday! Woot!
Chop8Mini birthday dessert bite, complementary: I had called in requesting a birthday dessert for the boyfriend. After confirming with our server, they brought over the mini birthday surprise! She was nice enough to give us the option of a complementary full dessert due to her dairy mistake above, but the boyfriend was already too full at this point and I am unable to help him eat this =(

However, we appreciated the offer and this was a reflection of the great service we received throughout our meal, although service was a bit slow in the beginning.

Overall, we had a lovely evening here for his birthday and really enjoyed our first visit. CHOP is a great option for steaks, and I would definitely recommend trying it. Compared to The Keg, CHOP has a more modern, young, and hip vibe while The Keg is more classic.

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

CHOP Steakhouse & Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Filed Under: dessert, food & drink, romantic, steakhouse Tagged: food, food blogger, richmond, vancouver

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