Bao Down Gastropub & Raw Bar (Olympic Village)

I've referred to Bao Down's service before in my post on the Flying Pig. It's great to finally see how it works at the restaurant itself. But first, the decor. It had a nice rustic yet industrial look to it. Raw.

I especially liked the reclaimed wood, but it makes me think of this article about burgled barn wood because of interior design trends.

We started with 2 dozen oysters (they were $1 each during happy hour). They were very well shucked. I only got one piece of shell in the dozen that I ate. We especially liked the jalapeno ginger sauce that came with it. The Joyce Point ones were the best in our opinion. At least we *think* they're "Joyce Point" because the server who brought us the oysters didn't know what they were. It was only later, when the bartender / oyster shuck-er walked by and heard me talk about it that he pointed out what they were. This happened the second time we visited the restaurant as well. No one knows what they're serving except for the bartender / oyster shuck-er.

Of course we had to try their baos. Mini baos were $4 each during happy hour. We tried one of each flavour (from left): Bao Chicka Bao Bao, Vevo, and YVR. Our favourite was the Bao Chicka Bao Bao because it had some texture in it and the lemongrass flavour was prominent. The Vevo and YVR weren't that great because they had no texture at all. It was mush in a bun, but the flavour was good. I especially liked the peanut flavour in the Vevo.

Wings were half price and we chose the Spicy Thai flavour. They were well fried and the sauce was well balanced, though not spicy at all.

We liked the Bao Chicka Bao Bao so much we ordered one more for each of us. Unfortunately, the inexperienced server (referred to above) brought it to the wrong table and we waited quite a long time before following up with another server (who was serving the table next to us). She asked if we were sure it didn't come and then told us it will come soon. I then saw her approach the inexperienced server to tell him he brought the baos to the wrong table.

Overall, the food was good. The service was so-so. Our first server (the bartender) was quite attentive and knowledgeable. But then he kind of disappeared after we ordered the last two baos and the place got a little busier. It would have been more professional if he told us, "Hey, it's getting busy and I'm going to get behind the bar now. So and so will now be your server." We had no idea who to flag down when we wanted to order more food.

The staff need to communicate with each other better, or find a way to educate everyone. When the server brought us our oysters without knowing what they were, it was unprofessional. He was obviously not as well trained since he brought our food to the wrong table too. We later overheard him bringing more food to the table next to us, food they are sure they didn't order.

We will likely only return during happy hour (which we have done already) and recommend that people visit during happy hour as well. It's not as busy so they'll serve you better.

Kissa Tanto

Our friend suggested we should try this new place, which was nominated as the top restaurant on enroute.

The decor gave off a prohibition / speakeasy kind of vibe. It was pretty cool.

I had the Oasis on the Ginza to start while I waited for the rest of the party. It's basically a mojito served in a margarita glass, pretty tasty.

As an appetizer, B and I shared the King Fish Crudo. It is basically raw fish drizzled with oil and lemon, because that was all we could taste. I thought the king fish would have a stronger saltier taste, but the fish itself was rather bland and overpowered by the oil and lemon.

Then B and I shared the Tonkatsu because we were curious what Tonkatsu at a fancy restaurant would be like. We couldn't really taste the pork, just that there was something salty. We mostly tasted the squid. The black mustard was quite good though.

Overall the food was good, but it didn't blow me away. Usually if the food is good, I would be too busy trying to taste all aspects of it. Here, I was more concerned about the conversation at the table. Also, normally at any restaurant we would be full sharing an appetizer and an entre, especially if the entre said "sharing plate". Unfortunately we were still quite hungry when we left.

We won't recommend not return.

The Union

Had brunch at The Union today. I wasn't sure what to expect from something so close to Chinatown, but was pleasantly surprised.

The decor was a typical hipster minimalist concrete / wood mix. It was very bright, clean, and open - a good atmosphere for brunch. We got there right as they opened at 10am and were the first ones there. There was no line up and only three other tables when we left and hour and a half later.

I had the Bao Bun Bennies, as usual, I had to start with the Bennies. The presentation was nice and my friend thought my breakfast looked better than his. He did let me try his lemongrass pork sausage which reminded me of eating at a Vietnamese restaurant.

My bennies were solid. The egg poached to a perfect soft. The hollandaise sauce was a bit bland. It tasted like nothing but had a creamy texture to it. The Asian guacamole was quite interesting. All I tasted was the lime (or whatever made it sour). It was good though and helped balance the creaminess of the hollandaise sauce. The bacon was well cooked to a perfect crispness that made it very easy to cut.

I liked the fact that it was served on a Chinese bun as it wasn't as filling as an English muffin. Sometimes I find the dense English muffins too much, especially if there's also hash on the side. The has. Was coated in curry powder and was very flavourful. It also went really well with the great selection of hot sauces.

All in all I had a great experience. Now that I know the bennies are solid, I'm intrigued enough by the other menu selection to return. I'm surprised it wasn't busier, but I like not having to wait. I'd recommend it, but am afraid it'll be too popular and then I won't be able to return without waiting in line.

Zipang Provisions

We had dinner at Zipang Provisions on Main and 14th last weekend.

We ordered salmon and tuna sashimi, tako sashimi, Philadelphia roll, yam tempura roll, ikura nigiri, unagi nigiri, and chopped scallop nigiri.

The sashimi were ok. It didn't melt in your mouth, but it was decent and well presented. 

The tako was good, a bit of a crunch and not too rubbery or chewy. 

There was too much cream cheese in the Philadelphia roll, even for me, and I love my cream cheese, and the nigiri were decent, but definitely not as impressive as the ones from Kimura.

The yam tempura had no crunch, it was on the soggy side. 

On the plus side the wasabi was really good - very spicy. 

Overall it's a decent enough place, but it's a little on the pricey side. Better sushi can be had for cheaper at other places around the city. 

-B