622 W Pender Street, Vancouver (Downtown)
Vancouver has no shortage of fusion restaurants, and Gyoza Bar shows great promise among the landscape in Vancouver's fusion eateries. Located on the edge of Gastown, Gyoza Bar brings a fresh take on Japanese cuisine that isn't sushi. Rather, it showcases ramen bowls, extensive bao boards and the beloved dumpling - the gyoza. I went to Gyoza Bar with my friend Jamie, and we decided to get a couple plates to share. The menu was bursting with incredible dishes that all sounded incredibly delicious, and after a lot of deliberating we decided on getting the Japanese curry poutine, the lettuce wrapped crispy chicken tacos and of course, a platter of the pork teppan gyoza. Because did you really go to Gyoza Bar if you didn't have gyoza? Teppan is a style of Japanese cuisine that use iron griddle to cook food, and in this case, it was cooking the gyoza. Pork gyoza is a classic, and it was absolutely delicious! Our gyoza was served with a spicy mayo and umami soy dipping sauce, which really enhanced the flavours of it. I loved all of the dishes that night, but the gyoza was probably my favourite because it is so simple and yet so tasty! If you ever come to Gyoza Bar, the teppan gyoza is an absolute must. The Japanese curry poutine was definitely the most eclectic dish that we ordered and definitely was the epitome of fusion. Japanese curry is different from Indian curry in that it is less spicy and is typically very thick, making for an excellent gravy to pour over top of thick cut fries. The poutine was topped with pulled pork, pickled jalepenos and cheddar cheese. Reading the menu description honestly sounded so wrong, but somehow ended up tasting really good! I have tried many different kinds of poutine, but this is one for the books. Finally, the lettuce wrapped crispy chicken tacos were also quite delicious, although the name of the dish was a little misguided. There was no crispy chicken, but there were 5 deep fried gyoza which were delicious on their own. Using lettuce as the "taco shell", we placed the crispy gyoza inside and topped it with sriacha aioli, pico de gallo, and guacamole. While the dish sounded strange yet again, it still tasted really good. The deep friend gyoza really gave a nice crunch, but I wasn't too hot about the pico de gallo. All in all, Gyoza bar offered a fun and exotic atmosphere with dishes that are just as fun and exotic. It definitely requires a step - nay, a leap - outside of your comfort zone, but I promise that you will be rewarded with delicious food and a great experience.
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415 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver (Downtown)
When you were a kid, your parents probably told you to eat your greens, and you would begrudgingly do so and spit them out afterwards. But at Field and Social, you won't just eat your greens - you'll keep coming back for them. Field and Social has taken the noble side salad and turned it into the main event. Served up in beautiful ceramic bowls, their salads are the full meal deal without feeling guilty about anything. But these aren't your typical salads with too much dressing and a few forgettable croutons. Those that work Field and Social take pride in the creation of their salads, making it a perfect lunch choice for the many businesses that work in the same area. The interior space is beautiful, with clean white walls and wooden communal tables while still keeping the concrete integrity of its previous life. The decal on the wall next to the entrance reads "have a field day", and if the interior doesn't already draw you in, the salads will make sure that you stay there. I had the Rustic Orzo, which had roasted chicken breast, orzo, walnuts, sundried tomatoes, bacon and Grana Padano cheese on top of a bed of romaine lettuce and kale, topped with a basil and white Balsamic dressing. Just writing that out makes me think back to this gorgeous salad, which was so simple and yet so tasty. You may wonder why even bother spending so much money on a salad (mine was $11; the most expensive one costs $14.50). I suppose there is something unusual about going out to eat a salad when you could very well make it at home on your own, but Field and Social offers a new way to lunch, one that looks and feels a lot healthier than most others. Best of all, they source local and fresh ingredients to use in their salads, making it an even bigger win. So if you are ever looking for a lunch option that is guilt free, have a field day and go over to Field and Social. You can also tell your parents that you eat your greens now! 350 Robson Street, Vancouver (Downtown)
I am a big pizza fanatic, and having passed Straight Outta Brooklyn Pizzeria numerous times, I decided to give it a try. And I am so glad that I did! My friend Emma and I went to hit up SOBP during our downtown date and we walked into their cozy and homey storefront on Robson Street, right across from the Vancouver Public Library. Upon entry you are greeted with so many delicious scents: cheese, tomatoes, meats and spices - all of which culminate the beautiful pizzas that are on display and ready for you to try! We went for two classics - Margarita and Spice (which had spicy salami, and according to Emma, a lot of heat!) The pizza was really good - you could taste the freshness of the ingredients. It was perfectly made and not too salty. The only downside to Emma's Spice was the pooling oil at the top, potentially from sitting in the display. Otherwise, it was delicious pizza, and it definitely satisfied my pizza craving! Individual slices start at $3.50 where as whole pizzas start at $13. Go get a slice of Brooklyn and give this pizza joint a try! 1741 Robson Street, Vancouver (West End)
During a recent outing with both of my sisters (a very first time for my youngest sister Therese!), we had a bit of a throwback when we went to the Japanese spaghetti restaurant Spaghetei on Robson Street. It serves up "authentic Japanese style spaghetti", something that I found out was indeed a thing during a trip to Japan a while ago. Eleanor had gone to Spaghetei before and had great things to say about it all, so having this feedback and the fact that I wanted to check out for the longest time, we went the other night. We got there earlier than normal dinner time, about 5:45ish and we were seated very quickly. The decor is very simple, and the front entrance was conveniently open to the street to let the small space air out. During the winter time, the wall is closed off and there is a single door to get into the restaurant. With each of the spaghetti dishes, you can get the regular size for the price that is listed on the menu, or alternatively, a small (- $1) or a large size (+ $1). We ended up sharing 2 large size spaghetti plates, and we also got two pieces of their garlic bread (which Eleanor describes as honey garlic, due to its sweetness. It is also green in colour). The dishes that we ordered, the Clam Soup Spaghetti and the Tomato Cream Spaghetti, came reallyy quick and tasted delicious. The portions that we shared was definitely enough, if not just enough. Depending on how hungry you are, you could probably finish an entire large. However, I was told by Eleanor that the regular is really small and definitely your best bet if you are planning to have your own dish. The servers at Spaghetei were really great about sharing dishes, so if you can't decide which one to try, go with a few friends and share a few large plates! Spaghetei was a delicious meal that didn't leave us too full - just enough to make it by. The only downside is that this restaurant, and many others on the West Side, are really far away from the Skytrain station. We walked from Granville, though in retrospect we should have walked from Burrard. There is the possibility to catch a bus down, which may end up being a lot quicker. However, there are a lot of great shops to check out along Robson, which makes the walk worthwhile! 270 Robson Street, Vancouver (Downtown) I have never really had ramen before, so I was excited when Eivan had suggested that we go for ramen. Apparently ramen is even more enjoyable when it's super cold outside, so going on one of the colder nights was definitely a good choice (I think..) Jinya Ramen Bar has many locations all over the United States from the West Coast to the Midwest, as well as two Vancouver locations. We hit up the location on Robson and Hamilton Downtown. Not really know what to order and what to expect (as I had only been to ramen one other time before), Eivan suggested that I try their Jinya Tonkatsu Black, which has a lot of ingredients - too many to name - but overall incredibly yummy. Perfect for a cold and dreary Vancouver night! The thing with ramen places is that they are small and incredibly popular. That combination in itself means that there are usually long line ups, whether it is dinner time or not. If you want to give Jinya Ramen bar a shot, or any other ramen place for that matter, then I hope you have a lot of patience!
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