Archive for the ‘Restaurant Reviews’ Category

Hello Heart Attack!

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

When I visited New York last February (yes this review took me a year to write), the mood was decidedly sober. As thousands mulled their futures on Wall Street, I took solace in the fact that Canada was largely unaffected. Indeed I was happily gorging myself on a nice twist to a classic dish as bankers everywhere began giving up their daily triple-shot, non-fat, no-whip caramel machiattos at Starbucks (oh the humanity!).

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I visit a Michelin two-star in Tokyo

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

Joel Robuchon has been cooking fine meals for longer than I have been alive. Starting with a single restaurant in France, he has slowly built up an empire with restaurants around the world. In Tokyo, he is the only foreigner to have received the coveted Michelin Star – an exclusive award whose criteria makes as much sense as a flying-purple wombat. The last time I was in Tokyo, I decided to see just how good his L’atelier de Joel Robuchon really was. Little did I know what I was walking into. (more…)

Burgoo

Sunday, March 9th, 2008

Burgoo Lamb Stew

The brainchild of Justin Joyce and Sara Urbauer, the premise of Burgoo is simple - serve good hearty stews and soups at reasonable prices. Drawing inspiration from around the world, Burgoo’s menu reads like the hiding places of Carmen Sandiego. From Ireland to Canada to Morocco, we have foods hailing from four different continents. Now if you’ve ever been to a Chinese cafe, you’ll know that having this many types of cuisines is a recipe for disaster as everything ends up tasting… Chinese. Burgoo thankfully is about as Chinese as Michael Jackson is black. (more…)

Japan Trip Day 2 - The good, the bad and the deep fried

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Breakfast at Omborato

I never thought that I’d be awake at 7:30 am while on vacation, but that’s where I found myself on Day 2. Dragging ourselves from the warm beds of the Century Hyatt Tokyo, we groggily dressed and headed out the door. Destination: Omborato. (more…)

Japan Trip - Day 1 - Asahi, Pocky, Tonkatsu and Whale - oh my!

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

Tonkatsu Wako

With Vancouver having a population as diverse as it does, it comes as no surprise that our city has some of the finest cuisine around. From French to Chinese to Japanese, there are restaurants that can satisfy any desire at almost any price point. Having grown up in Vancouver, it’s been interesting to see how the tastes of my friends and I have changed over time. To think that just six years ago, Kamei Royale with its all you can eat menu was our favourite Japanese restaurant. (more…)