'Appy Hour at The Flying Pig (Olympic Village)

B and I have been on a Happy Hour binge lately. Our latest visit was to The Flying Pig, where we've been for brunch and dinner before. It's always been solid: good service and good food.

It's amazing how different food is when served at Happy Hour and at Dinner. When we visited during Dinner, the Truffled Jumbo Macaroni was delicious and left you wanting more. During Happy Hour, it was bland and average. There was a good amount of it though, so you'll definitely be full.

B liked the Beef Carpaccio, but I thought the greens on top made it too bitter and overpowered the flavour from the beef.

I don't know why I keep doing this, but it's never a good deal to order a Meat & Cheese Board at a restaurant unless you know they cure their own meats. Based on the selection, I would've been better off going to Costco and getting a variety pack.

The Beef Short Rib Croquette was fine. I actually thought we ordered the Mac n' Cheese Bites from Dubh Linn Gate because the texture of the Croquettes were gooey and not meaty at all.

When these P.E.I. Mussels arrived, B's first words were "This must be the smallest serving of mussels I've ever seen." One of them was closed too, so we couldn't eat it. But we got 2-3 each. They were fine, we were just disappointed that they didn't catch the closed (dead) one.

Overall, we think Brunch and Dinner is good at The Flying Pig, but wouldn't return for Happy Hour.

Revisit: Torafuku

I know we said we weren't going to return to Torafuku unless it's for a special occasion, but my mother saw my Instagram pictures and wanted to try it out. We ordered a few of the same dishes because they were really good: Lucky Dumplings, Big Bad Beans, and Gone Fishin' (Seabream). Then we also ordered some new ones to try.

First up, Taco 'Bout Awesome are duck tacos. The duck was cooked perfectly and we really liked the freshness of the vegetables. It also had a bit of heat to it. We loved and hated that it was overloaded with filling. Loved it because it was fresh, hated it because it was super messy to eat. Each taco only comes with one tortilla, so we had to order two, which came out to $24 for this light appetizer.

Next, I ordered The 3 Amigos for us because I knew the dishes won't be very filling, and my father would probably want some carbs to fill him up. I think we ended up having about a bite and a half each. The grains were cooked really well and the risotto had great flavour to it overall. The guanciale was a nice addition. My parents don't really like cheese, but enjoyed the crispiness of the parmasan.

I had wanted to try The Steak Out last time, so I took this opportunity to do so. Wagyu beef is supposed to be so tender it melts in your mouth (we had that as our last meal when we were in Japan). Although the beef was tender, it didn't really melt in my mouth. Also, like the duck we had the other day, it seemed that it wasn't sous vided long enough to really break down the fat and tendons. Great flavour and sides though, and I particularly enjoyed the spicy rice crispy coating on the potato.

Last comes The Mussel Man, which came with a side Chinese Puff Pastry for an extra $4. The Puff Pastry is like those scallion pancakes you find at Szechuan style restaurants, except without the scallion. This was the weakest dish of the bunch. Although the sauce was really good, especially with the Puff Pastry to dip in, the mussels were overcooked and chewy.

Overall, my parents really enjoyed the food. Though they didn't have to pay for dinner, they expressed concern over how pricey all the dishes were. If you want your Chinese parents to boast about their wonderful child for bringing them to this "貴夾唔飽" place to their friends, it might be a good place to bring them for a special occasion. As for B and I, we will likely not be returning for a very long while.

Verve Bistro

Went to Verve for a birthday tonight. The owner ordered a few appies for us to start: mushroom skillet, risotto cake, and mussels.

The mushroom skillet was good. It had very strong flavours of mushroom and goat cheese. The richness of the mushrooms were balanced well with the tartness of the goat cheese.

I wasn't able to take a picture of the risotto cakes before the rest of the party dug into it. The risotto cakes were quite bland. It really needed the tomato sauce that it came with. Perhaps they need more broth / seasoning when cooking the risotto.

The mussels tasted very Asian. It had a strong taste of coconut milk. However, it was fresh and I wanted more bread to go with the sauce. The bread was actually corn bread and was very tasty.

We had the elk burger as a meal. The bread was toasted but came out cool - not warm. It was also sweet, which is kind of weird - didn't go well. The elk itself was a little tough - we're not sure if it was packed too densely or if it was overcooked. It wasn't pink at all, so I think it was overcooked.

We also ordered the braised beef poutine. This isn't a dish for those who dislike blue cheese. Personally I love blue cheese so the mixture of the sweet sauce and the sharp cheese was perfect for me.

Another plus was the live blues music by Wes Mackey. He's pretty awesome.

Overall, the food was decent and the live music was a great touch. I like their selection of local beers.  The place is still so new and so we may go back for beer, appies, and live music if I'm EVER in the West End.

Cafe Salade de Fruits

Went to this community centre restaurant with some family tonight. When we arrived at 6pm, there were already quite a number of tables on the patio and most of the tables inside were reserved. Luckily, we also made reservations and were seated promptly.

One of us were a little late, but the server didn't really check up on us and we had to flag her down to order. Even then, she took a while. I don't think anything is computerized at all so everything you order would be written down on checks and probably written down again for the cooks.

I ordered the duck pate (Rillette de Canard) to start. It tasted nice and came with a side salad. Unfortunately, the pate was a little dry and lacking in fat. It tasted like bits of duck were packed together like a burger patty and not really creamed together like pate usually is. The salad was overly drenched in vinaigrette and was too acidic for my taste. Luckily, we had unlimited bread to go with the dish.

I ordered the frog legs (Cuisses de grenouilles) as my main dish. That butter sauce was like liquid gold, but too bad our "unlimited" bread wasn't refilled so I couldn't really enjoy it. The frogs were sautéed nicely: the meat was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. Although by the end, it was a little overwhelming and I couldn't get the garlic taste / smell off my mouth.

I also ate half of one of my cousin's rack of lamb (Carre d'agneau). It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and well seasoned. I didn't use any gravy that was served with it, but I was not lacking in seasoning at all. The lamb meat was tender and easy to tear off the bone. It came with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The vegetables might have been a little overlooked by the heat of being next to the mashed potatoes, but still nice to have with the meat.

My other cousin ordered the halibut (Fletan), and that was very well done. The halibut was tender but still had texture. The mushroom clam sauce was refreshing once you added that squeeze of lemon to it.

Another cousin ordered the mussels with fries (Moules et frites). Those fries were like a meal on its own. I'm glad it came with mayo and not ketchup. Also, despite what the English menu says, it's a choice between fries OR salad; it does not come with fries AND salad.

The mussels themselves were the star of the dinner. The server brought out a place mat for my cousin, then this big pot. Then she lifted the lid off the pot and all you got was this delicious lemon-y aroma. The mussels themselves were small, but they were so soft and creamy and the broth was very flavourful. Again, I wish they refilled the bread so that I could dip it in the broth.

Overall it was a good experience. I wasn't blown away but it's a solid restaurant with fresh ingredients. It's a little tight, cash only, but I'd recommend a try. I probably won't be returning though: I'd rather have French food from my French cooking classes.

Federico's Supper Club

Went to Federico's for Mother's Day Dinner. Usually I find that when a restaurant takes reservations on open table for a special day, it's a bad sign- I'm lucky I was wrong because Federico's was such a great experience.

We had a party of 11 and were charged automatic gratuity. Usually that would mean bad service, but our server Vladimir took great care of us.

As appetizer we shared the Fritelle di Baccala, Cozze e Fagioli, and Carpaccio Di Manzo.

I couldn't take a picture of the cod before the others dug into it. The dish was fine, the breading on the fish was crispy and not soggy at all- just wasn't a fan of the mint on the side.

The mussels were great. The sauce had lots of flavour and the mussels were cleaned and cooked well. The cannellini beans added great texture to it.

The carpaccio was also very good, although if you're not a fan of cheese you may not enjoy it. The truffle oil was pungent and so aromatic and enjoyable.

Some time between appetizers and main course, a guitarist set up camp on stage and started playing acoustic guitar covers of pop music. He was so good I actually noticed each song ending and start applauding. The live music really livened up the atmosphere and made talking to each other more enjoyable.

As our Primi, we picked the Pasta Challenge dish: Romagna Mia, pappardelle in beef and chicken liver ragu, accented with flavours of pancetta, vermouth, sage, tomatoes and Grana Padano shavings. It was so rich, but delicious. B thought it was "too" rich, but the liver was perfect for me. My advice, try it before the challenge is over (if you like liver)!

As our Secondi, I ordered the Bistecca alla Griglia, the flat iron steak, cooked rare. It was a decent sized piece of steak, but I think the chef erred on the side of MEDIUM rare instead of rare. It was still juicy and tender though. It was seasoned well and I loved the caprese tomato to lighten it up.

My brother had the Braciola di Maiale. He enjoyed it and said the pork was very tender.

Other dishes included the Merluzzo Arrostito and Scottadito. Both enjoyable.

Overall, the entire dinner was enjoyable and we would return again. Try it out before the pasta challenge ends!

BierCraft Wesbrook

Locations do make a difference. While we thought BierCraft on Cambie was overrated and too "hipster", BierCraft Wesbrook was a pleasant surprise. We went as part of an office Christmas lunch.

I ordered the Muffaletta Pannini, which came with two sides for only $12. I chose the Belgian Frites and the Seasonal Squash Soup. I also ordered the Bomber Seasonal (Cinder Block).

The pannini was a little on the salty side, probably from the prosciutto, but also probably because everything in the pannini (aside from the provolone cheese) tended to be salty. It probably would've been a bit less salty if they had more sauce. I also would've appreciated it if the cheese was melted.

The soup was fantastic. It had the right balance of saltiness, sweetness, and spiciness. All the flavours at once stood out and blended together very well.

Frites were frites. I liked the aioli dip.

My companions ordered chicken wings, Marinier mussels, Orleans mussels, and Caesar Salad with chicken. They said that the risk about ordering mussels is that sometimes the mussels are really small and you get really disappointed. That did not happen. They were very happy with the size and taste of their mussels.

Overall, good experience. Portion size were a little big, I only ate the soup and half the pannini, didn't finish my beer, and was stuffed full. I'm so glad I have a standing desk.

Our server was sweet and fun. Really accommodating and down to earth. We had a really great time. Service was not slow at all - probably because all the students have gone home for Christmas and the place was only half full.

Would recommend and probably return if I were EVER in the Wesbrook area.

Central Bistro - Dine Out 2014

On Monday we went to Central Bistro in the west end for another Dine Out. It was quite busy while we were there, which seemed like a good sign. Unfortunately it wasn't a great experience. It was the slowest service I had ever experienced, luckily we had a good group of people, so it didn't seem as slow as it was.

For starters, I had the White Bean & Wild Boar Bacon Spread on a grilled baguette. It was good, but didn't blow me away.

G had the Red Truck Salt Spring Island Mussels in a chorizo, tomato, basil, garlic, onion, chipotle & Red Truck lager broth. A few people at the table had this, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Unfortunately it took about an hour for all the appetizers to come.

After another 45 minute wait, we received our main courses, and we both had the 8oz Sterling Silver Steak & Frites. It was fine. The fries were very tasty, great flavor and perfectly crunchy, and the steak was well cooked but lacked seasoning. 

Someone else at the table ordered the chicken, which arrived cold and overcooked - very dry. 

After another 45 minute wait, we received our desserts. We ordered the Dark Chocolate Lava Cake. Now, it was quite good, but it was not a lava cake. With a lava cake you expect a runny, gooey, warm chocolate centre. This did not have it. It was either cooked wrong, or simply made wrong. So while it tasted fine, it was a disappointment. 

On the plus side, they did have a decent whiskey menu for a small restaurant, so going for drinks only might be an option. 

Overall the food was fine, but nothing special, and the service was awful. Our dinner took almost 3 hours. We will not be eating at Central Bistro again.