Eggslut

GAUCHO
seared wagyu tri-tip steak, cage-free over medium egg, chimichurri, red onions and dressed arugula in a warm brioche bun

SLUT
cage-free coddled egg on top of a smooth potato puree, poached in a glass jar, topped with gray salt and chives, served with slices of baguette

Jam Cafe

JJ BEAN RAILTOWN DRIP COFFEE

THE CHARLIE BOWL
crumbled biscuit, hash browns, ham, bacon, corn salsa, peas, green onions, cheddar cheese and sausage gravy with two sunny eggs

BUTTERMILK BISCUIT SANDWICH
buttermilk biscuit made in house served with sunny eggs, cheddar, tomato jam and hashbrowns

SUGAR-CURED BACON

Yolks

Yolks has two locations in Vancouver -- East Hastings & Clark and West Broadway & Cambie. This doesn't include their popular blue food truck that is usually parked downtown by Burrard and West Pender. We went to the one on Broadway (which coincidentally is right next to a new Ramen Santouka location - read my last blog post!).

I think I've said this before, but I will say it again -- I am not a fan of "classic" breakfast food. I don't see the appeal of going out and paying to eat sunny-side up eggs and bacon strips (unless they are sugar-cured bacon strips from Jam Cafe ... which I should probably blog about) when I can easily replicate it at home. In my opinion, good brunch food's gotta have that je ne sais quoi.  And yes, I would have to say that Yolks has that je ne sais quoi.

When we got to the restaurant that day, we were not surprised to learn that there was over an hour wait. There isn't a lot of seating inside and it was Sunday morning after all. Luckily, we were able to put down our number so that they could text us when seats became available. Yolks uses an online wait list system where you can monitor your place in line. Thumbs up for the convenience! 

Tip: There is free parking around the back of the restaurant that not a lot of people know about (us included). If we had known about this beforehand, we would have saved a lot of time from not having to circle around the block 5 times to find street parking.

Since Yolks is known for their "perfectly poached eggs", we obviously had to try the eggs. You can either go with one egg for $7.50 or two eggs for $10.95 (pretty reasonable for a popular brunch restaurant in fancy Vancouver!). We both opted for the two egg option. You then get to customize your egg order with your choice of toppings and sides.

Me --> Portobello mushroom with aioli, fresh arugula and aged white cheddar on truffle-lemon hashbrowns (+$2.95, BUT SO WORTH IT)

Sameer --> Smoked wild BC sockeye salmon (+$2.00) with fresh arugula, crispy capers, real hollandaise on truffle-lemon hashbrowns

Hands down, my order was the better of the two (this was determined by mutual agreement). The smoked salmon was good and perhaps even worth the $2.00 extra, but definitely not on the same level as the portobello mushroom and aged white cheddar combination. Just thinking about it makes me want to drive over to Yolks right now. The truffle-lemon hasbrowns were also awesome. I may be a little biased because I love everything truffle-related, but I have to say that those were probably the best flavoured hashbrowns I've ever had at a brunch place.

One last comment -- the eggs were perfectly poached.

Hollywood Cafe

Hollywood Cafe was at the top of our list of breakfast/brunch places to try in San Francisco. The restaurant is located just a couple of blocks south of Fisherman's Wharf by the intersection of North Point St and Taylor St. Many of the reviews that I read on Yelp said that this place was "one of the best breakfast places in San Francisco". Only one way to find out ...

We got here fairly late in the morning that day, but there was still a lineup outside. We were told that there is always a line up outside. 

Luckily for us, we were the only party of two in the lineup and a table for two just so happened to free up inside the restaurant. The inside was very cozy and the walls are decorated with pictures of classic Hollywood stars.

We started with two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. A bit pricy, but I would highly recommend it.

Although their Breakfast Specials (James Dean, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe) were very tempting, we ordered two plates of their classics to shares: Old Favorite Eggs and Eggs Benedict with Salmon and Shrimp.

Old Favorite Eggs - Two sunny-side up eggs with sauteed mushrooms.

Eggs Benedict with Salmon and Shrimp.

The food was good - nothing amazing, but solid overall. We didn't have any specific complaints, but both agreed that it wasn't worth the lineup. My favourite part of the meal was probably the large capers and fresh cherries that were served on the side of the plate. 

Meet in Gastown

I am so behind on my food posts! That's part of the reason why I will be keeping this one fairly short. Just wanted to put that out there before I get started.

Meet in Gastown - probably best described as a restaurant where casual comfort meets modern hipsterness (I think I made that word up).

I first stumbled across this place by accident when I was wandering around in Gastown trying to find a place to have dinner. Although the address of the restaurant is on Water Street, the actual spot is a bit tucked away inside a corridor. The restaurant's inconspicuous location makes it a good place for a quiet and cozy meal. I am definitely a fan, even though the "patio" only offers glimpses of sunshine.

I came here with Cory (almost 3 weeks ago now) for dinner on a Thursday night. There was a good flow of people going in and out, but it wasn't too busy. I will confess that I didn't know much about the restaurant before coming. Neither Cory or I realized that the restaurant was known for its gluten-free and vegan menu selections. I've actually never been to a completely gluten-free / vegan restaurant. I guess there is a first for everything! 

Knowing my preferences, I (obviously) ordered their Mac N' Cheese .. with the add-on of chili!

Mac N' Cheese with chili.

Their Mac N' Cheese is made with their vegan cashew cheez sauce, scallions and smoked salt. I had a choice of brown rice macaroni or wheat penne. I picked brown rice macaroni. It actually bothers me when mac and cheese is not made with macaroni! How can it be "mac" and cheese ... 

And truth be told, it was actually very tasty! I will refrain from giving it a CAMCR (Cynthia Approved Mac and Cheese Rating) because although it tasted good, it didn't quite resemble your typical mac and cheese. It was more of a chili mac, if anything. I couldn't really make out the cashew cheez very well, so it's hard for me to comment on how it stacks up with real cheese. 

I do plan on coming back and trying their house chili though. I saw several people around me ordering it and it looked like straight comfort in a bowl. 

Burgoo

Burgoo. What a cute name??? I've wanted to try this place out ever since I drove by it on Main Street the first time.  I've since learned that there are two other locations in Vancouver - one on West 4th and one on Londsdale Avenue, in North Van. "Burgoo" sounds like a fictional baby-talk term. However, Google and Wikipedia tell me otherwise. Apparently, "burgoo" refers to a type of thick stew, often prepared communally as a social gathering.

The restaurant's slogan is, "food for comfort". Their menu seems to say the same thing. I recently read a Daily Hive article titled, "101 things to eat and drink in Vancouver before you die"...

"82. Mac and Cheese at Burgoo
Beloved for their comfort foods, Burgoo's Mac and Cheese always gets top nods for being among the best in the city."

MAC AND CHEESE??? BEST IN THE CITY??? YES PLEASE. (Yes, the capitalization and punctuation is absolutely necessary to properly convey my level of excitement.)

Sameer and I came here this past Sunday for a late lunch and was lucky enough to score a seat on the patio. It was already 3 pm by the time we still had to wait about 15 min to be seated. As usual, I was famished by the time we were seated. Luckily, I didn't have to waste any time deciding what to order ... because MAC AND CHEESE. I took a sneak peek at their menu anyway, just to see what other yummy selections they had to offer.

I made a mental note of the items I wanted to try on my next visit: Jambalaya, Chicken Pot Pie, Beef Bourguignon, Burgoo Biscuits, and Queso Fundido ... to name a few. And that's obviously subject to me being able to restrain myself from ordering the Mac and Cheese again.

Our waitress told us right off the bat that all of their cheese dishes were very popular. This made me very happy. I proudly ordered the Mac and Cheese and a Caesar (because why not? And because they have $6 Caesar specials on Sundays!). Sameer ordered the El Cubano Sandwich that was stuffed with braised pulled pork, spicy Capicollo ham, mix cheese, grainy mustard, and garlic pickle relish. It also came with a side of kale salad.

El Cubano Sandwich

I took a couple of bites of his sandwich to try it out. The meat was very flavourful and soft and the sandwich was good overall ... but didn't come close to my  Mac and Cheese.

Mac and Cheese - star of the show!

My Mac and Cheese was piping hot and fresh out of the oven ... just the way I like it! I like having Mac and Cheese while it's H-O-T (hot to the point where you could burn your tongue if you're not careful). That way, the cheese is ooey gooey and melted just right. This Mac and Cheese was loaded with aged white Cheddar; simple and classic. A common criticism I have for mac and cheese is that it's dry or it doesn't have enough cheese. The macaroni here was soft and very moist, but not mushy. There was just the right amount of cheese and the taste of cheddar was not too overpowering. I also loved that they had bottles of Sriracha sauce readily available. If you are a fan of mac and cheese, please do yourself a favour and try this one!

Cynthia Approved Mac and Cheese Rating (CAMCR*)

*Percentage weight of each factor in calculating the total CAMCR - Macaroni 20%; Cheese - 30%; Presentation - 5%; and Overall Taste - 45%.

Category: Gourmet**/Classic? - Classic

**Note: Toppings/Ingredients would have been a factor if it was categorized as "Gourmet".

Macaroni - 4/5

Cheese - 5/5

Presentation - 3.5/5

Overall Taste 4.5/5

X(perience) Factor*** - 2/2

***Click here (and scroll down to the bottom) for an explanation.

Burgoo gets a CAMCR of 92.0%

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar

Last night I went to Chewies with my friend Cory for dinner. There are two locations in Vancouver - Coal Harbour and Kitsilano. We went to the one at Coal Harbour. I've been here once before for my birthday this past December and I loved it the first time.

I tried an oyster shot for the first time on my birthday! It wasn't the greatest experience, but I'm glad I tried it. The method to properly ingest it does not come naturally to me - the double task of trying not to prolong having the liquor in my mouth while not choking on the oyster proved to be very difficult for me. I believe I had the Jammers Oyster Shot, which is a concoction of chilled Hurradura tequila, fresh shucked oyster, lime juice, sugar, and crystal hot sauce. The hot sauce not only got stuck in my throat, it also made the tequila burn all the way down.

The restaurant embodies a New Orleans theme and features an open kitchen. Their walls are decorated with a lot of vertical wood panels that gives off a very rustic vibe. I was a huge fan of their decorations, especially the saxophone art piece by the front entrance and the Rue Bourbon street sign that's anchored by the centre of the restaurant. Their menu offers signature New Orleans dishes such as: Fried Gator & Hush Puppies, Classic Gumbo, Southern Fried Chicken and Jambalaya. They also offer a wide selection of oysters from both the east and west coast.

We ordered half a dozen oysters to share: two Kusshi oysters (from B.C.), two Effingham oysters (from B.C.), and two Raspberry Point oysters (from PEI). I love oysters and I love trying different types of oysters to experience the different flavours and textures. I wasn't very impressed with the oysters we ordered last night. Maybe it was the type? Maybe they weren't quite in season? I typically prefer creamier oysters with sweet flavours. The Kusshi oysters were described to be creamy and sweet with a smoky finish - not the case in the ones we had. I didn't particularly like the Effingham or Raspberry Point oysters either. They both tasted briny and was similar in texture, even though the Raspberry Point oyster is known to have a "sweet finish". However, oysters are often hit and miss and even great oyster bars sometimes play host to some not-as-flavourful oysters (as I've experienced), so I'm not overly critical as long as they are fresh. I did enjoy their selection of sauces - the spicy habanero one was my favourite.

I like having caesars with oysters. I think it goes really well together ... so yes, I ordered a Chewies' Caesar. The Chewies' Caesar is made with Sobieksi Vodka, homemade hot sauce, fresh horseradish (which is scattered throughout), Worcestershire, Clamato, and garnished with a Cajun prawn (my favourite part!). Instead of regular ice cubes, the drink is chilled with crushed ice. If you like horseradish, then you'll love the Chewies' Caesar - the horseradish really adds a good kick.

Cory's glass of  Poplar Grove Pinot Gris was filled right up to the rim! No complaints there.

For my entree, I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken. I ordered this last time as well and was taken aback at how good it tasted (because who thinks to order fried chicken at an oyster bar?). It was just as awesome this time. I don't usually like fried chicken, mostly because I find the batter tends to be tasteless and too thick. The batter for this fried chicken was finished with a maple-syrupy glaze that gave it a very pleasant sweetness. The sugary flavour went together perfectly with the buttermilk mashed potatoes that it was served with. The chicken was tender and juicy and I cleared the plate, no problem.

Cory ordered the Scallops & Succotash. I was lucky because she let me have a taste :) The lemon butter was a good dressing choice for the succotash, but I thought the scallops were overcooked. The scallops tasted good, but according to the menu, they were supposed to be seared rare. To me, they seemed to be cooked all the way through. Cory also ordered a side of Chive Baby Biscuits, which she graciously offered to share.

The biscuits were phenomenal (not to sound over-dramatic) and they were only $4! The biscuits were drizzled with honey butter and garnished with chives. I would have never thought to order biscuits with dinner, but I'm glad she did. The both of us were marveling at how well they were baked. The outside still retained a bit of a crunch while the inside was soft, but still firm. Every bite was like a bite of buttery goodness.

If you're wondering about the actual size ... each one is about the size of my fist.

Cactus Club Cafe

When I started this blog, I decided not to write about chain restaurants. BUT, I felt like dish deserved a shout out because it's my absolute favourite at Cactus Club and I often get cravings for it.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Prawns

The raviolo (yes, I had to look up the plural form for "ravioli") are stuffed with mashed butternut squash and mascarpone, topped with sauteed prawns and crispy sage, and covered with truffle butter and crushed pine nuts. I've actually had this dish at three different Cactus Club locations now and I haven't been disappointed. The saltiness of the truffle butter sauce brings out the sweetness in the butternut squash filling. The crispiness of the sage leaf creates a good texture that balances out the chewiness of the prawns and the softness of the raviolo.

I do tend to like "truffle" anything. It's one of my guilty pleasures.

The truffle butter does make this dish very rich, so I would recommend either ordering the starter size or sharing the entree size if you want to try it out.

Tilikum Place Cafe

Flashback to Easter Sunday - we were hungry and desperate to find a good spot for brunch because a lot of locations were closed for the Easter holiday. I considered grabbing a McMuffin meal from the closest McDonald's, but decided that I would regret not venturing out for breakfast/brunch while being in Seattle. After consulting Yelp, I came across Tilikum Place Cafe. The reviews were good and it wasn't too far of a car ride from our hotel. I called them in advance to make sure they were open. The nice gentleman on the phone said that they were only open for brunch and lunch (until 3 pm) that day, but not for dinner. He also mentioned that they only had one more reservation available for brunch (at 2:30 pm), but were accepting walk-ins for seats at the bar counter (the wait list at that point was about 45 min to an hour) and would be able to accommodate us if we were only a party of two. Not wanting to wait more when we got there, I asked nicely for us to be put down on the wait list and he kindly obliged.

I had given the restaurant my cell phone number so that they could contact me when a spot became available. After half an hour later, I realized that they wouldn't be able to call me because I had my phone on "airplane" mode to avoid roaming charges. By the time we got to the restaurant, it was about 45 min after I had called in. I was worried that we had missed our turn on the wait list. Luckily, they had just tried to call me and our seats at the bar were still available.

(HANGRY CYNTHIA WAS INCREDIBLY HAPPY)

We were seated at the bar. This was the view in front of me.

My view of the restaurant when I turned around.

The view to my left ... and also my favourite view! Sneak peek at the Eggs Benny special.

I thoroughly enjoyed our seats at the bar counter. I was actually so glad that we go to sit where we sat, instead of at one of the tables. I got to watch the chefs make and prepare the food while we waited for our meal to come. Although it definitely made me even hungrier, it added immensely to my overall experience. The inside of the restaurant had a very cozy feel and gave off a European vibe - the type of vibe that gives you a sense of comfort and warmth even though it's cold and rainy outside.

We decided to order the two daily specials that were not on the regular menu - 1) Eggs Benedict and 2) Corned Beef Hash. We also got a pot of french pressed coffee to share.

The Eggs Benny special consisted of two poached eggs served over a thick slice of corn bread that was topped with a dungeness crab and fresh red peppers mixture. It was served with a side of roasted potatoes and came with some home-made hollandaise sauce that was infused with sriracha.

We had high expectations for the Eggs Benny, mainly because the description was very appealing and there was a lot of anticipation from watching the dish being prepared. Unfortunately, we were both pretty disappointed. The eggs were cooked well and the hollandaise sauce was great (even though I couldn't really make out the sriracha at all). The potatoes, however, did not taste as good as they looked. I think the seasoning was a bit off. The dungeness crab went well with the poached eggs, but there wasn't enough of it to make a good impression. You could tell from the texture that the cornbread was fresh, but it wasn't a good pairing for the crab mixture. The sweetness of the cornbread mixed with the fleshy taste of the crab left an odd after-taste in my mouth.

The Corned Beef Hash, on the other hand, was awesome! It was unlike any other corned beef hash I've ever had.

It had a very unique spin - the corned beef was cubed, instead of mashed (like it usually is). The beef was tossed together with some (slightly) roasted brussels sprout leaves, yellow and purple potatoes, carrots and served over a spread of horse radish cream sauce. I would never have thought to add brussels sprouts in any form to a breakfast/brunch dish, but I'm glad someone else thought of it. The horse radish cream sauce was phenomenal and complimented the brussels sprout leaves and corned beef really well. The juices from the corned beef also added a lot to the plate. The potatoes themselves were not very seasoned, but they absorbed the juices from the corned beef and actually helped to balance out the overall saltiness. The yolk from the poached egg was like the cherry on top.

Since the Corned Beef Hash was a daily special, I'm not sure how frequently or when they have it available to order for brunch. If you're in the area and you somehow catch wind that it's being served, I would jump on it!

Pike Place Chowder

Pike Place Chowder was our first food stop in Seattle. Post Alley was very crowded (likely because there were a lot of tourists like us from out of town). The lineup outside of the restaurant was pretty intimidating. They had the line split up into two sections - one on each side of the alley to allow people to pass by in the middle. Since it was a bit chilly outside, I was a bit nervous that it would be a long wait. However, we decided that we would just suck it up because the clam chowder was worth the wait. Surprisingly, the wait was only about 25 minutes (which was relatively short compared to how long the line was). 

For those of you who have heard of Pike Place Chowder, you are likely familiar with its popularity and esteem in the chowder world. For those of you who haven't heard of Pike Place Chowder, the awards pictured above will likely give you a good idea of its reputation. We picked up a menu to look at while we were in line, so that we could make the tough decision of choosing which chowder(s) to try. They offered a sampler that allowed you to pick four different chowders to try. The only downside to the sampler was that you couldn't get the chowder in the sourdough bread bowl. Before looking at the menu, the only one that I knew I had to try was the New England Clam Chowder (because ... it's classic!). 

By the time we go to the front of the line, we had decided that we were going to order the sampler. However, we still had not made up our minds about which chowders to sample. So, we asked the girl working there which four chowders were the most popular ... and we went with that: 

1) New England Clam Chowder - bacon-flavoured clams, cream with herbs and spices

2) Smoke Salmon Chowder - smoke salmon, capers, and cream cheese

3) Lobster Corn Chowder (the special of the day) - lobster, corn, and dungeness crab 

4) Seafood Bisque - cod, salmon, and shrimp in a tomato-based cream broth

(corresponding to the above-numbered chowders - starting from the top left, going clockwise)

My expectations of this place were high, and I was definitely not disappointed. The chowders were nothing short of amazing. I usually have three major concerns with chowder: 1) there's too much cream that makes the broth too thick; 2) the ingredients to broth ratio is not right, so that there's either too much or not enough ingredients; or 3) I can't taste any distinct flavours from the ingredients. I didn't have any of my usual complaints with these chowders.

I have an easy test to gage if the consistency of the broth is right. I spoon a bit of the chowder and let it slide off. If there's no dripping at all, then there's too much cream and the broth is too thick. If all of the chowder slides off the spoon without leaving a thin coating, then the broth is too runny and there's not enough cream. The consistencies of these chowders were just right. The ingredients to broth ratio was good. They didn't skimp on the seafood (which happens a lot), such that I was able to get a bite with every spoon. At the same time, there wasn't too much ingredients mixed in that I felt like I was constantly chewing instead of enjoying the chowder substantially like a soup. The seafood was fresh and the flavour of the ingredients were distinct. I particularly liked that each type of chowder was recognizably different. We were able to identify each type of chowder just by taste. 

I'm not going to initiate a CACR (Cynthia Approved Chowder Rating), but I would highly recommend Pike Place Chowder as a "must try" for anyone visiting Seattle.