restaurant blogger Archives - Curiously Carmen

I’ve been wanting to try Kita No Donburi for a couple of years now, but never had the chance to. I’m a big fan of Japanese “fast food” type restaurants, such as Ebi Ten by the downtown main library (Which reminds me, I went there a few months ago and never ended up writing a review on it….). Kita No Donburi is at a pretty convenient location for me, which is why I was really looking forward to going. I finally got a chance to try it out today on my lunch break, and I’m sad to say that I was a bit disappointed with my dish. Kita No Donburi = Kita No Food instead?
Originally, I was going to order take out but decided last minute that I rather sit down and eat there. My coworker and I arrived around 12:30, and a lineup had just started to form out the door.

One thing I really liked about this place, and Japanese fast food restaurants in general, was their efficiency and friendliness. We were given take out menus and our orders were taken while in line, so that there was a shorter wait time for when the food came out. Since we came right during the lunch rush, seating was almost at capacity. Luckily, we managed to get the last available table! YAY! It looked a bit cramped since there were so many people inside, but it was actually pretty comfortable to sit.

My coworker already had lunch packed, so she decided to just get a small snack. She ordered the takoyaki ($4.75), which came with eight pieces. Not a bad price for the portion and taste! It was very flavourful, loved the mayo and flakes on top! If you want delicious takoyaki in downtown Vancouver, this is the place to go 🙂
I decided on getting the katsu curry ($8.25). This plate doesn’t look that big here, but it was as wide as the table! The curry was well spiced, flavourful, and had little chunks of potato in it. The katsu was delicious as well, it had a satisfying crunch and the pork was very juicy. Even though it was good, I felt that it was very overpriced. As you can tell from the picture, more than half of the plate is deceivingly just the curry sauce itself. The most expensive portion of a dish is usually the meat, but the portion of katsu was also very small for $8.25. Look at the amount of curry and katsu ratio! I would have hoped for more meat, or rice even, if I’m paying $8.25!

To be fair, they did have a picture of their curry dishes on the menu, but I didn’t expect the katsu portion to be so small. Overall, just definitely not worth the price compared to what was received. =( But I guess when it is in such a centralized location, building space is going to be insanely pricey which means sacrifices on food size.
On the menu, it also said that donburi dishes come with miso soup. I know that this is not a donburi (rice bowl), but they shouldn’t include this item under the donburi menu if it’s not a donburi OR doesn’t include soup as well.

Would I return? Not sure. I definitely won’t be ordering the same dish again though.. Disappointing, because I was hoping I had found a decent and convenient lunch spot. Don’t get me wrong, the dish I had was good and the service was excellent, but I can’t afford to pay that much for what I (don’t) get! It’s definitely not worth it, imo.

-Carmen

Back when I did not have a blog, I came here with my friend who was stopping in town from Japan for a few days. Prior to him landing in Vancouver, he told me that he had to try this place before leaving, because apparently this place is very well known in Japan. Well damn, if people across the ocean raved about this place, it must be one good gelato place!

We ended up loving our gelato, but to be honest, I don’t remember much of the gelato itself as I was too happy that I was able to reunite with my friend living halfway across the world after a year.

So, half a year and one beautiful sunny afternoon later, I decided to stop by again and enjoy some delicious gelato after a delicious meal at Kintaro Ramen!

Bella Gelatria is located on the main floor of the luxurious Fairmont Pacific Rim, right by the water. There was a line up out the door, and almost around the corner the day we went. In total, we waited about fifteen minutes in line.

The staff working there are very experienced in heavy volume traffic, so they had a pretty efficient system going. There are also awards and framed newspaper articles lined up from top to bottom, so you definitely will not get bored in line.
Of course, if you do not want to read their framed articles, you can take the time to decide what flavour you want to try. I was craving strawberry that day, but unfortunately, the worker told me they didn’t have it. She was then interrupted (in a friendly manner) by the owner and master gelatier, James Coleridge as he informed me that they only make strawberry when in season.
After much debate, I settled with the chocolate belgian brownie. I was in love at first bite. The chocolate was extremely rich, smooth, decadent, and soft. I fell in love with how well-rounded the chocolate flavour was, and how creamy it was.

I have never had gelato, or ice cream, as creamy and rich like this before. You could really tell the difference in quality. Typing this post is making me so hungry now.
Next up (no, I did not order three all to myself, incase you’re wondering) is the Thai coconut milk gelato. Just like my chocolate one, this one was extremely creamy as well. There was a strong and delicious coconut taste. It came with little slices of fresh coconut as well, which added to the freshness of the gelato.
This was the mint chocolate gelato, but I didn’t get a chance to try it. Delicious is actually just an understatement for Bella Gelataria.

Honestly. I’m not the only one that thinks so, either considering that Bella Gelataria has won numerous awards in Italy for their gelato and their rating on Urbanspoon.

-Carmen
PS. Here is a picture of the outside, with their big sign. This picture was taken at my first visit in chilly November (read first paragraph above), hence the jackets.