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.

Pourhouse

Finally got a chance to have a meal at Pourhouse, after years of recommendations from family and friends. We decided to go because they didn't do Dine Out (I try to avoid those restaurants now).

The place had a warm and vibrant vibe to it. It was hip and quite crowded for a Wednesday night. Service was prompt and professional. Our server was very friendly.

The special for the night was braised beef ravioli, but it sounded too heavy for me, so I decided to have two "plates" instead.

Ever since I saw that episode of Cutthroat Kitchen I've always wanted to try a scotch egg. I thought it was supposed to be just an egg wrapped in sausage meat but the taste was kind of metallic and "fishy". I have a feeling the egg was cooked a bit too much. The sauce it came with was really good though. It kind of reminded me of a tartar sauce and helped to balance out the strange taste of the egg.

I also decided to try the Rabbit Terrine because, how often do I get to eat rabbit? It tasted fine, a lot of seasoning and flavour. I had hoped that it would be more spreadable and creamy. The pickles and the mustard together with the rabbit gave it a good complex flavour.

As dessert I had the chocolate and almond cake. The cake itself was quite dense and a bit dry. The whipped cream was a great addition and added a bit of lightness to the bite. Altogether, it had a great nutty taste.

All in all, I had quite a good time. The server never hurried us when we were finished eating. We even got our water refilled quite a few times. I may go back, but I'd definitely recommend trying it out.

Devil's Elbow Ale & Smokehouse

We decided to check out Devil's Elbow because it was available on Open Table and close to the skytrain. It's located next to Chambar in the space Chambar used to occupy. I didn't like Chambar when it was there, it had the wrong atmosphere, but I thought the vibe was pretty good now that Devil's Elbow has taken over.

It had a rustic feel to it, I really liked the exposed brick and the canoe skeleton hanging from the ceiling.

We ordered the $40 Smoked BBQ Meat Platter with two sides.

On the top left is the beef brisket. It was tangy sweet and kind of dry. But after I drank a little more beer, it started to taste really good. It really isn't that dry because it is well sauced.

To the bottom is the pulled pork, which was sweet and savory at the same time. It was pretty tasty.

In the centre is the pork back ribs, which were also quite dry, but were a lot better after you dipped them in the tomato sauce.

The meats were all very smoky, just as advertised. I think they must have been cooking it all day because it was dry and it came out really quickly. By no means was it "bad" though. The sauces on all the meats were very good and they were well coated.

The potato salad was really good. The vegetables were cut evenly so you had a taste of everything in one bite. It was tangy and fresh and the potatoes were cooked just right. The celery added a bit of crunch.

The IPA Mac n' Cheese was the best part of dinner. It was rich and dense and made everything taste so much better from it's creaminess. The taste of cheese was strong.

The two of us only ate about half the amount.

We will likely return for the great atmosphere and decent food. We'd recommend it over Memphis Blues, which was always just okay.

Bauhaus

My parents got a Bauhaus Travelzoo voucher so they asked us to come along (even though it's for 2).

Nice design - light, clean, industrial looking. I wonder if the "movie director owner" had any say in the design. He was quite the social butterfly, walking around saying hi to all the customers, introducing himself, asking if everything was okay, giving recommendations on what to try if it's your first time. He really built some rapport with the customers.

The server himself (at least ours) was very professional. He had recommended that we should order the tasting menu as well, given that the travelzoo voucher was for the tasting menu, but was completely fine that we ordered a la carte as well. Even when we swapped places and changed what we wanted he was very gracious with us.

To start they gave us sea salt and paprika  butter to go with our bread. The bread was warm and fluffy and the butter was very tasty.

Then we had a complimentary amuse Bouche which was a thin slice of venison with apple puree and jelly and "foie gras dust". By itself the venison tastes smoky and quite gamey. The Apple puree and jelly was a little too sweet and tart. That being said when you eat the combination of venison, puree, and jelly in one bite, it was really well balanced.

The first of the six dish tasting menu was the spiced salmon. The salmon was tender and moist. It had a subtle flavour and went really well with the sides of shaved black salsify, pickled and pureed rutabaga, quinoa, and capers. The pureed rutabaga was fantastic. It was very light and fluffy, yet it still had substance.

The second of the six dish tasting menu was the poached sole. By itself the sole was a bit fishy. Together with the bacon and bacon powder, it was perfect. The mustard foam was a little tart, but still tasted fine. When you eat it with the spinach, however, it really balanced the flavours and tasted so creamy it was unreal.

The third of the six dish tasting menu was the liver sausage ravioli, however, it arrived as a tortellini. I'm not sure how they made the consomme, but it tasted mildly of the liver as well and was very well seasoned. The tortellini itself also had a very strong liver taste - not the metallic kind, but the creamy kind that even B enjoyed. On the side there was an egg flan, which was very light and helped balance the saltiness of the consomme.

The fourth of the six dish tasting menu was the venison that was seared to perfection. It was very tender and had a nice subtle flavour that wasn't gamey at all. It was served on top of a parsley puree, an onion puree, and some jus. On the side is a caramelized onion and onion "sponge". This was something you had to eat together, because the combination of flavours were so well balanced - from the richness of the meat and pureed onion to the freshness of the parsley puree to the tartness of the jus. The sponge was interesting, it didn't add to the meal, but shows how creative the chef is.

The fifth of the six dish tasting menu was the braised venison shoulder served with pureed quince, brioche dumpling, crumbled blue cheese, and sauteed brussel sprouts. The venison was gamier than the other dishes, but when you add the sweetness of the sauce, the tartness of the quince, and the sharpness of the blue cheese, it was very well balanced. Blue cheese itself goes very well with quince, and then you add the meat, and the combination was quite enjoyable.

The tasting menu dessert was a (deconstructed) plum cake. The cookie base was gingery and sweet. The plum and ice cream was infused with gluehwein. The spices were pronounce and went very well with the sweetness from the sugars in the ice cream and cookie. The ice cream itself was light - I think it may have been gelato, but I cannot remember.

Since the coupon was only for two, we had to order more food for the extra two people. I ordered the roasted duck. It came on a bed of balsamic lentils and creamy leeks with a side of mashed potatoes. The duck was seared very well and the skin was so crispy I am at a loss how that was achieved. The meat itself wasn't gamey at all and was moist and tender. The balsamic lentils were very flavourful but not too tart and the combination of lentils and duck gives it great flavour and made it very well balanced. The creamy leeks were so creamy it felt like I was eating leek flavoured cheese sauce. I have no complaints about the mashed potatoes.

As my dessert I had the sorbet. I think it was raspberry flavour, but cannot confirm as I was not told what it was. It was heavier and sweeter than expected. It was good, and the flavour was balanced, but it seems less of a palette cleanser and more of a "real" dessert.

Overall, we had a great experience. The dishes were well executed, each one was presented beautifully and tasted wonderful. The complexity of each element on the dish really shows how skilled the chef is. We will likely return for a special occasion but not anything else as it was quite pricey and not within our normal budget. As B says, it's a place we will go back to quite often if we're rich. The food was worth the price tag, if you can afford it.

Mad Chef Cafe

We were invited to have lunch at Mad Chef's today. Apparently it's a place where if you're not a local you don't know about it but it was also featured in "You Gotta Eat Here". Our friend plays squash with the chef and told us he was classically trained.

The place has an industrial feel to it, but very clean and comfortable to be in. The server was very nice and friendly.

B and I shared the Dr. Dynamite burger - the habanero appealed to B. The patty was normal sized, thank goodness, and very moist. I could definitely taste the habanero. The sauce was well balanced between sweet and tart.

Overall a good meal. Our companions tried other burgers and Mac & Cheese and also said they were very delicious. Will return and recommend.