320 Cambie Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
This little place is the perfect answer to those that are obsessed with meatballs. Tucked away on Cambie Street close to Victory Square, Kofta Meatball Kitchen boasts big, hand rolled meatballs in cute little bowls of pasta. I went with my friend Joshua and the whole concept of the restaurant was quite endearing to me. I personally am a huge fan of meatballs so I knew that a trip to Kofta was definitely needed. The space inside is super spacious and can fit a lot of people, and one of the walls facing the street is a garage door which can open during the super hot summer days. There is also an entire wall of little succulent plants which I love! At Kofta you can choose to have meatball baguettes (think meatball sub at Subway, but a little more refined) or a meatball bowl, either premade or one that you can build yourself. Being a huge fan of macaroni and cheese, I had the Six Pack Mac, which was macaroni and cheese and three savory beef and ricotta meatballs. The other bowls amazing too, such as the Kofta Poutine, the BBQ Feast, or a Low-Carbonara with zoodles (zucchini noodles) as opposed to pasta. I loved what I had and I definitely will make a trip back because I love the idea of the place! The only thing was that the meatballs were a little bland, but it was made up for with the sauce in the macaroni.
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306 Water Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
Gastown has been blessed with another poke shop, and now The Poke Guy on Richards Street has some serious competition to watch out for. The Poke Shop, located on Water Street, is the latest poke restaurant to join the growing Vancouver trend. Located in another basement, I was first drawn to The Poke Shop by their colourful sign that pointed into the restaurant. Walking inside, I was greeted with a burst of colour, with a long Hawaiian style mural running along one of the walls and a gorgeous wooden communal table with gorgeous blue glass running through the center of it. Starting at $12.95 for a large bowl, you are given a base of rice or salad, two scoops of protein and unlimited toppings. Unlimited. As in, top it until you drop it (but don't drop it, because you will be sad). As with The Poke Guy there are multiple toppings to choose from, however, you need to be careful about some of the toppings that you choose, as premium toppings are an extra $1, like avocado. However, the poke bowl was amazing. Their toppings were plentiful and abundant, which was really great to see. I chose the wild sockeye salmon and Ahi tuna on white Japonica rice, topped with avocado, corn, green onion, and many other things I don't remember, and topped off with miso sauce. It was incredibly fresh and delicious, though the fish wasn't as marinated or flavourful. If you're looking to diversify your poke pallet, consider The Poke Shop, right across from the steam clock. You'll instantly forget that you're in rainy Vancouver. 420 Richards Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
I went to check out The Poke Guy ahead of a review for The Peak. It was my very first time trying poke, and it was incredible! Poke is a fish salad found in Hawaiian cuisine, and one bite of this transported me instantly to Hawaii! The aestehtic of the restaurant which is very close to SFU's Harbour Center campus, has a very beachy vibe: clean white walls, wooden furniture and vibrant green plants. The greatest thing about The Poke Guy is the amount of choice that you have when it comes to what you want to eat. First off, you get to choose the size: the Little Guy, which consists of two scoops of protein and up to 5 sides, or the Big Guy, which consists of three scoops of protein and unlimited sides. There are daily proteins that rotate though, like Tako (octopus) and shrimp, as well as mainstays such as Ahi tuna and Lomi Lomi salmon. There is also the choice between white and brown rice or a salad base, and a number of sides such as imitation crab, avocado, corn, fresh mango, and others. You also get a choice of dressings as well as "crunch" toppings like nori (seaweed), crispy onions and pork rinds. I had the Little Guy with half white rice and half salad, Lomi Lomi salmon (which is fresh salmon marinated with vinegar, tomato, parsley and onions) and a bit of Ahi tuna, added imitation crab meat and mango and topped with nori. It was, in a word, delicious! One bite and I could feel the Hawaiian sunshine! The other cool thing about The Poke Guy is that all of their utensils and packaging are compostable. The staff are also incredibly helpful, and you can sample the different proteins to see which one you like! With poke becoming so popular in the city, the lunch rush at The Poke Guy means that the popular proteins and sides get sold out quickly and aren't replaced for the rest of the day. The Poke Guy is on the rise and looking to add more food options and potentially be open for dinner as well, and definitely is the one to watch. 10320 152A Street, Surrey (Guildford)
A third storefront in the chain, the Guildford area has now been graced with yet another joint to add to its arsenal of sushi restaurants. Sushi California, which can also be found in Coquitlam and the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood of Vancouver, recently opened its doors in a plaza across from Guildford Town Center. Though its exterior is quite unassuming, the inside is quite spacious and busy, with a really quick turnover. My friend Kim and I went to go check it out. We had the Salmon Mountain roll, the Sweet Mango Paradise roll, as well as Ebi (cooked shrimp) and Salmon nigiri. The food came super quick and was super delicious. After Kim and I got in, the place really started to fill up and for sushi-goers, the wait was up to 25 minutes, so at peak hours for lunch and dinner it could potentially be a long wait. However the food was great and definitely will be a great place to go back to! 12 Water Street, Vancouver (Gastown) | 4288 Main Street, Vancouver (Main Street)
I've begun to realize how many vegetarian/vegan friends I have as well as how abundant Vancouver's vegetarian/vegan scene has become! Spoiler alert: vegetarian food is awesome! One evening I went with my old friend Rebbecca to Meet, which is a vegan restaurant that boasts a super chill vibe and delicious vegan fare. The original location is on Main Street, but earlier in 2016, they opened a second location in Gastown! The restaurant is located in the inner courtyard behind Coffeebar, and it is all kinds of perfect. One of the walls even opens up to the courtyard, giving off the feeling of eating outside while sitting comfortably inside. We showed up around 6:30, which was apparently the perfect time. After about 10 minutes, we got our table, and once we started dinner, we looked to see that it was not only packed inside but outside as well - the wait was apparently 45 minutes to get in! The food was incredible - I tried their Mac and Cheese, which, when vegan, uses no cheese at all. Regardless, it was incredibly flavourful and delicious and didn't taste any different from regular Mac and Cheese. Rebbecca had the organic quinoa and roasted yam salad which looked incredible, and she enjoyed! Great atmosphere and service at Meet! The one thing I will say about the place is due to its popularity and busy-ness, it gets quite loud, so talking and catching up becomes a challenge. If you are looking for a quieter place to talk to someone, Meet might not be your place. Nevertheless, Meet has got me all hyped up for vegetarian and vegan food and I will definitely be back again! 115 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver (Olympic Village/False Creek)
I have nothing but good things to say about Bao Down and now their new restaurant location. Bao Down Gastropub + Raw Bar rang in 2016 with a bang, bringing to Olympic Village a vibrant take on Thai food. The first Bao Down opened in Gastown as a petite stand that served up steamed bao (buns) with incredible combinations of fillings, adding a unique twist to the typical bao. Bringing the creativity to the next level, Bao Down Gastroppub + Raw Bar brought with it new takes to traditional Thai dishes. They also have raw oysters to shuck, if you're down for some shellfish! I went with my friend Christian to catch up, and I'm so glad that we got to try Bao Down in the midst of its grand opening. I had some Vancouver brewed 33 Acres beer to go with my VeVo Pad Thai, while Christian had the Fly Rice. The flavours were authentic and definitely had a Canadian spin to it. Really good food, friendly and knowledgeable waiters/waitresses, and an all around cool vibe. If you are familiar with the wall mural at the Gastown location, you will be blown away by the one in the Olympic Village location! Go check them out for lunch and dinner for a good time! I also heard through the grapevine that they have a Hawaiian-style weekend brunch available now too! 201-800 Carnarvon Street, New Westminster
TASTE: 3/5 SERVICE: 4/5 PRICE: $$ If you're looking for something different, quirky, and new, then I would highly suggest going for Mexican in New West. You heard me. Stemming from their original cafe in Port Moody, Original's Restaurante Mexicano is a new Mexican restaurant adding to the diversity of food choices in New Westminster. Conveniently located at the New West skytrain station, Original's has a wide expanse with lots of space to sit down in it's cozy, candlelit dining area. After much debate and searching, my friends and I literally stumbled upon the restaurant and went inside to give it a try. I had a chicken taco and flautas, which are basically Tacquitos (remember those?), and my friends and I shared a chocolate cake and, to be really bold and adventurous, fried plantains. Our food came relatively quick and it was delicious. However, I think because it is a fairly new restaurant, it has yet to pick up a following. That night it was pretty empty, so we got served pretty much immediately. But if you like Mexican food and live in New West or the surrounding area and don't want to go downtown, then head down to Original's and give it a shot! One day I'll also make it out to Port Moody to their cafe as well. |
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