Medina Cafe

I have been wanting to try Medina Cafe since I first moved here last year. If you're a Vancouverite, then you've most likely heard of this famous brunch spot and its infamous wait times. I've tried going to Medina twice before. On both of those occasions, I wasn't determined enough (or prepared) to stick around and wait for 1.5 hours. I tend to think most brunch places are overrated, but I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.

Last Sunday, I finally sucked it up and decided to wait it out. Sameer and I got to the restaurant around noon and was told that the wait was approximately 1.5 hours (as expected). The wait actually wasn't bad at all. Mind you, we had already eaten something beforehand in anticipation of the wait. Like many others, we decided to walk around downtown after we put our name down on the wait list. The hostess assured us that we wouldn't be crossed off the list if we didn't make it back on time. We returned to the restaurant 1 hr and 15 minutes later and there was a table ready for us. 

Now a bit about the restaurant ...

Medina Cafe first opened in 2008 in Crosstown (on Beatty Street), Vancouver. It later moved to its current and more spacious location by Richards and West Georgia Street in August 2014. The cafe offers a unique Mediterranean-inspired cuisine that features locally sourced ingredients. Medina is also well-known for its fine selection of coffee and lattes and its mouth-watering Belgium waffles.

There is not much signage on the outside ... which is fine considering it's hard to miss the entrance of the restaurant; there is always a crowd assembled outside. I am a fan of their coffee sign though! The inside of the restaurant was very charming and cheery. Even though it's actually situated slightly below street level, the interior was very bright - likely due to the high ceiling and large windows at the front. I noticed that the restaurant attracted an interesting mix of people, all of which seemed to be enjoying both the atmosphere and the food.

We always like to try the most popular and classic dishes on the menu at a new restaurant. From reading reviews of the restaurant, the two most popular dishes seemed to be the Fricassée and the Paella (which our waitress confirmed). We ordered those two to share. We also ordered a Salted Caramel Latte, a Lavender Latte, and waffles with a milk chocolate lavender dipping sauce.

The waffles and the lattes came out first. The waffles weren't as warm as I had hoped, but I suspect that they would've been if we were there earlier on in the day. It was almost 1:30 pm by the time we ordered (the restaurant closes at 3 pm). However, that was my one and only semi-criticism of the food. The texture and the the sweetness of the waffles were perfect. The milk chocolate lavender dipping sauce was super smooth; great combination of melted milk chocolate with a hint of lavender. Both of the lattes were superb - the salted caramel and lavender flavour for each one, respectively, was distinct, but not overpowering.

Salted Caramel Latte on the left and Lavender Latte on the right.

We finished the leftover dipping sauce with our spoons :)

As mentioned above, I think a lot of brunch places are overrated. Many times, people focus too much on the presentation of the food, rather than the taste of the food. It actually irritates me when I try a highly talked-about brunch place only to discover that the food is merely a "fancier" version of what I could make at home in my kitchen. In my opinion, in order for a restaurant to be a good brunch restaurant, there must be something special about the food such that it's not something I could easily replicate at home. 

I loved both the Fricassée and the Paella - there was definitely something special about both dishes.

The Fricassée

The Fricassée was a hearty medley of braised short ribs, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, applewood smoke cheddar, and seasonal greens that was topped with a fried egg. It also came with a slice of grilled focaccia on the side. I am not exaggerating when I say that the short ribs were incredibly tender - "fall right off the bone" type of tender (except there were no bones). The roasted potatoes were also very soft. The sauce was what really brought it all together. The sauce was tomato-based, with a bunch of different spices added to it. After mixing everything together, every bite was a savoury bite of goodness.

The Paella

Unlike traditional paella, this Paella was made with orzo pasta instead of rice. The orzo is cooked together with some spicy chorizo, seasonal vegetables, avocado, and grana padano cheese in a spicy tomato salsa. Just like the Fricassée, every bite was full of flavour. The spicy chorizo really stood out to me - the spiciness of it was almost addictive; I just kept wanting more of it. The avocado and the egg was the perfect addition to the dish to give it that "brunch" feel.

So ... I have to say that Medina is worth the wait and I would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't already tried it. It's rare to come across a brunch spot that serves non-traditional "brunch food". The restaurant is open Monday to Friday as well, starting at 9 am in the morning. Our waitress said that the wait time is usually 30 min max until closer to noon. However, she did mention that a line usually starts to form outside the restaurant around 8:30 am ... so get there early!

Kenzo Japanese Noodle House

For those of you who might be wondering ... this restaurant is different than the Kenzo Japanese Noodle House in Toronto and is owned by different people. This one is located in Burnaby by Griffiths and Kingsway. For the past several months, I've been making a mental note to try this place every time I drive by it. I finally went to try it out with a co-worker (Joanna) for lunch this past Friday.

The inside of the restaurant is pretty cozy - not too big, not too small; furnished with a lot of wood (very Korean/Japanese style - I'm fairly certain the owners are Korean). We came here around 12:30 pm and it wasn't super busy, but there were 3-4 other tables seated. Our waitress was very friendly and brought us over two cups off tea as soon as we sat down. Below are the pages of their menu that feature ramen:

I had a sore throat that day, so I was actively seeking out some non-spicy and slightly "healthier" options. Otherwise, I probably would've automatically opted for the "King of the Kings Ramen". I decided to go with the Don Ko Chi. Considering I was feeling a bit more health-conscious that day, their added description of: "it has very little oil", was really what sold me on it. Joanna ordered the Miso Ramen with a spicy level of 1.

Miso Ramen

Don Ko Chi

Unfortunately, I didn't try Joanna's (I didn't want to impose because I was feeling under the weather that day), so I can't comment on/rate hers. She said it was okay-good, but not better than Ramengers. 

Joanna and I tried Ramengers together a couple of months ago and we were both fans. Sadly, my food blog did not exist at that time. Click here to read my review of it on Yelp.

My first impression of the Don Ko Chi was that it did not resemble the picture in the menu at all. The broth for the noodles is a tonkotsu broth - soup boiled from pork bone. Tonksotsu broth tends to be milky and creamy (kind of like how it looked in the picture on the menu). The broth wasn't as milky as I was expecting, but it did retain a lot of flavour from the pork bone. The broth wasn't too salty or oily ... I actually enjoyed it a fair bit! I was able to drink a majority of the soup without the usual feeling of needing to follow up with 5 glasses of water. I highly suspect that it's MSG-free, but I didn't get a chance to confirm this with our waitress. The noodles were cooked well; just the right texture. As you can tell from the picture, there weren't a lot of toppings. The green onions complimented the broth very well, but I would've appreciated some other toppings too! The chashu was too rough, in my opinion. They likely chose a less fatty cut of pork to minimize the oil in the bowl, but the chashu was too lean for my liking.

Cynthia Approved Ramen Rating (CARR*)

*Click for the percentage weight breakdown for each factor (scroll down to CARR)

Toppings - 2.5/5
Meat - 2.5/5 
Broth - 4/5
Noodles - 4.5/5 
Presentation - 3/5 
Overall taste - 3/5

X(perience) Factor** - 1/2

**Click for explanation (scroll to the bottom of post)

Kenzo Japanese Noodle House gets a CARR of 72.0%

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.

Via Tevere

I discovered an authentic Neapolitan pizza place this past Sunday night ... all thanks to my lovely friend, Rita. She suggested that we go to her favourite pizza spot for a girls' dinner. Via Tevere is hidden in the heart of a residential neighbourhood by Commercial Dr. and Hastings (Victoria and Williams, to be exact).

As usual, I did a bit of research beforehand ...

The restaurant was founded by two brothers - Frank and Dominic Morra, who also own Ragazzi Pizza Co. in Vancouver. Via Tevere is named after a street in Naples, Italy where the founders' father was raised. The brothers attribute their appreciation for Neapolitan food, lifestyle, and most importantly, pizza, to their experiences on Via Tevere. And so, they started the restaurant with a goal to commemorate their family's heritage and the essence of "la vera pizza Napoletana" (the true Neapolitan pizza!). 

Their menu features an appetizers, pizzas ranging from $11 to $21, a daily pasta, and a mini collection of dessert. Their pizzas have won numerous awards and have been lauded by many as the best Neapolitan pizzas in Vancouver (next to Nicli Antica Pizzeria - already on my to-try list).

And now, a little bit about Neapolitan pizza and the history of pizza:

On June 11, 1889, a Neapolitan pizza-maker in the name of Raffaele Esposito cleverly crafted a pizza embodying the colours of the Italian flag to honour the Queen Margherita of Savoy. The pizza was adorned with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil and has since become one of two most popular pizzas among Neapolitans. That pizza is know commonly known as the Pizza Margherita. The other pizza that ranks similarly high in popularity among Neapolitans is the Pizza Marinara - garnished with tomatoes, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil. 

I learned that Neapolitans take their pizza seriously. So seriously that there is actually an association that exists to restore and preserve the authenticity of traditional Neapolitan pizza-making. Together with the Italian government and European Union, the Associazone Vera Pizza Napolatena (AVPN) sets strict guidelines and criteria for the certification of a vera pizza Napoletana. The criteria is as follows: 

1. Required ingredients include: double zero flour, San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil; 

2. The pizza must be baked in a wood-fired, domed oven at 485 degrees Celsius for a duration of 60 to 90 seconds; 

3. The dough must only be hand-kneaded; 

4. The pizza must be 30 cm in diametre, with a thickness of 3 mm at the centre, and a cornicione (crust) of 1 to 2 cm in height; 

5. The texture should be soft, elastic and easily fold-able into a libretto (booklet) and the centre should be soft to the touch; 

6. The the finished crust should be golden with a bit a charring, the mozzarella should appear in even patches, and the basil leaves should be cooked to a darkened green colour; and

7. The pizza should be consumed immediately at the pizzeria right after being taken out of the oven! 

Fun fact #1: In Naples, pizzas are served uncut to preserve its toppings and its thin centre.

Rita, Rachel, Michelle and I got to the restaurant just a bit before 7:30 pm on Sunday. The optimist in me was hoping that there would be no (or close to no) wait. Unfortunately, the wait at that time was around 30 - 40 minutes. However, I've actually heard that sometimes the wait gets up to 1.5 hours, so perhaps we were lucky after all. The exterior of the restaurant had a very rustic feel that I was drawn to right away. One of the sides of the building is a canvas to a vintage-looking mural. Parked along the side of the street is their blue food truck and a cute little yellow 1969 Fiat 500 mini, branded with the name of the restaurant.

Fun fact #2: Via Tevere has a food truck that operates in downtown Vancouver by Burrard and Pender from Tuesday to Friday.

After about half an hour, they offered us four seats at the bar (which I was more than happy to accept considering how hungry I was at that point). The inside of the restaurant was very comfortable and charming. Their wood-fired oven acts as a centrepiece and is beautifully covered with turquoise/teal-coloured tiles. The staff were all very friendly and personable.

I told him I was taking a picture for my food blog and he agreed to pose for my photo ... yay!

We ordered the Polenta Fritta to start and a Pizza Prosciutto e Funghi, a Pizza Capricciosa, and a pasta of the day (because we wanted to satisfy our carbs craving) to share.

The Polenta Fritta were deep-fried sticks of cornmeal that were served with a side of tomato sauce. I read in a Vancouver Sun article on the restaurant that the owners' mother comes in to prepare all the fried appetizers. I wonder if this is true. The polenta sticks tasted better than I expected, but not extraordinary by any means.

The Pasta Del Giorno (pasta of the day) was a penne pasta in meat sauce - not particularly exciting and borderline sub-mediocre. I'm going to withhold from commenting too much on the pasta, as I'm well-aware that Via Tevere is a pizzeria.

The pizzas definitely lived up to my expectations! The Pizza Prosciutto e Funghi was topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, prosciutto, and mushrooms and the Pizza Capricciosa was topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, salame, artichokes, mushrooms, and olives.

Note: Prosciutto (crudo) is Italian dry-cured ham and prosciutto cotto is Italian baked ham.

Pizza Prosciutto e Funghi

Pizza Cappricciosa

Both pizzas were soft and fold-able (as described in #5 of the above APVN criteria list), all the way from the crust to the centre. I'm not a fork and knife type of pizza person, so I opted with the fold and eat method. The crust was perfectly charred, but not too much so that it was overly hardened. I liked that the ingredients were traditional and simple and that they did not skimp on the prosciutto. The saltiness of the prosciutto went really well with the fresh mozzarella and the smooth tomato sauce.

To end off the night we ordered their Tiramisu to share. We had heard good things about the tiramisu and couldn't wait to see of ourselves. The bartender said the serving was quite sizable, so we went with just one. A common issue I have with tiramisu is that the lady fingers become too soggy after they've been dipped in coffee/rum. This in turn makes the whole inside of the cake too wet. Another common issue I find is that I can rarely taste the mascarpone in the whipped cream layers of the cake; a lot of times I can only taste the whipped cream.

The lighting wasn't very good, so the photo doesn't do it justice.

This tiramisu was heavenly. It did not have a "wetness" problem. There was actually still a bit of crunch from the lady fingers. The whipped cream layers were very well done - the whipped cream was very smooth throughout and the mascarpone was distinct. Despite the many calories I'm sure I consumed while eating the cake, it tasted very light and spongy.

Honourable mention: Rachel and Michelle ordered lattes to try. I had sip of Rachel's and loved it - the latte was very smooth and not too sweet.

Overall, I would give Via Tevere 4/5 stars for their pizza! Their efforts to maintain a high level of authenticity definitely paid off. The pizza is worth the wait. Also, if you're a big tiramisu fan, I would highly recommend you give theirs a try. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. 

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.

Ramen Gojiro

Last night, Sameer and I went to dinner with a good friend from law school (Omar!). I haven't seen Omar since I was last in Windsor and was very happy to find out that he would be in town for the week. I've been meaning to try Ramen Gojiro ever since it opened up downtown.  So, I suggested that we go there to test it out.

The restaurant is located downtown Vancouver, right at the intersection of Dunsmuir and Richards. Being the gentleman that Omar is, he got there early to wait in line outside for a table. It was 7:30 pm on a Tuesday night and the place was packed. However, the line seemed to move pretty quickly. 

Gojiro specializes in jiro-style (aka gatsuri-style) ramen. I actually didn't know this fact until after, but Ramen Gojiro is actually the first ramen restaurant in Canada that offers jiro-style ramen! They also make their noodles in-house. This style of ramen is currently very popular in Japan. Jiro-style noodles are thicker, chewier, and not as yellow or egg-y as what most of us are used to. Similar to regular ramen, the soup base tends to be a tonkotsu broth with shoyu added, but thinner in consistency and with more suspended fat on the surface.

GODZILLAAAAA. How fitting. 

Gojiro's menu is simple - Basic or Spicy. Both features their signature broth with a choice of karaage (chicken) or chashu (pork). If your appetite allows for it, you can up-size either one to a bakamori (I've been told that this directly translates to "stupid big") that has more of everything.

All of us decided to go with the Basic ramen (regular size) with chashu. We picked chashu because we had already ordered a plate of karaage to share. I've heard a lot of hype about the karaage, so I was excited to try. I was also interested to try the gyozas because they are made in-house based on a "secret recipe". We ordered a plate of those as well.

I thought the karaage was overrated. I've had some pretty amazing ones before (Le Cafe Michi in Scarborough being the best I've had so far), so the bar is set quite high. At Gojiro, you can order the karaage without any sauce (original), or with sauce: tartar, oroshi (grated daikon), or terispa (spicy mayo & terriyaki). We ordered the karaage with terispa. There were some parts that were juicier than others, but overall I thought the chicken pieces could have been more tender.

The gyozas, on the other hand, tasted (unexpectedly) amazing! I usually don't have very high expectations for gyozas and am very easily turned off by ones with thick or overly chewy "wrappers" (the doughy skin that the meat is wrapped in). Thick wrappers are just distracting and often take away from the taste of the meat on the inside. These ones were paper thin and soft. I could tell that they were not previously frozen. The meat inside was well-seasoned. I couldn't exactly put my finger on the ingredient that made it stand out. Must have been something in that secret recipe! The gyozas came with a dipping sauce that tasted like a mix of soy sauce, vinegar ... and chilli pepper sauce (I think). It was tangy and spicy and I loved it.

Onto the star of the show ...

I'm just going to cut to the chase -  I was disappointed. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to the hype. The soup could've had more flavour. There were three levels of spice that you could choose from: mild, spicy, or atomic breath. As badass as "atomic breath" sounded, I chose "spicy" out of precaution. I know my spice tolerance is likely higher than the average person, but the broth wasn't spicy at all. Everyone at the table agreed with this. I appreciate that the broth is thinner for jiro-style ramen than regular ramen, but my issue with the broth wasn't just limited to its richness. I've had ramen where the broth tasted so good, I had to restrain myself from picking up my bowl and drinking it all. Let's just say that I didn't have that problem here.

The chashu was 90% fat, which I wasn't too crazy about. However, I can't critique the fattiness too harshly as I learned afterwards that this is another main feature of jiro-style ramen. It's probably safe to say that jiro-style ramen is not for the health conscious.

The egg didn't come with the ramen. It's a topping that you can add on for $1.00 extra. The first thing I did (after taking a picture of the ramen) was split the egg to check out its centre. I'd give the egg two thumbs up - it's worth the dollar. The yolk was just to my liking.

The noodles were fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I was a little surprised when I first dug them up from under the broth. I've never had ramen noodles like this before - definitely thicker and chewier than the regular ramen noodles. In my opinion,  they bear a stronger resemblance to shanghai noodles (but with more bite). 

And now, for honourable mentions...

1. Bibs!

Self-explanatorily awesome. We all know how much noodles in soup can splash. Gojiro offers free bibs for those of us who would prefer our food not to intermingle with our clothes. 

2. Practical spoons!

You might not be able to see it clearly in the picture above, but their soup spoons have an indented cliff by the base of the handle (on both sides). This allows you to rest your spoon (face up or down) idly on the edge of your bowl without it slipping into the broth. I'm all about practicality and there's nothing more annoying than your spoon falling completely into the soup when you go to grab it.

3. Friendly Japanese-speaking staff!

The service was good and the staff wwere all very helpful and friendly. The fact that they could all speak Japanese added to the authenticity of the experience. 

Cynthia Approved Ramen Rating (CARR*)

*Click for the percentage weight breakdown for each factor (scroll down to CARR)

Toppings - 3.5/5 
Meat - 2.5/5 
Broth - 3/5
Noodles - 4.5/5 
Presentation - 3.5/5 
Overall taste - 3/5

X(perience) Factor** - 1.5/2

**Click for explanation (scroll to the bottom of post)

Ramen Gojiro gets a CARR of 67.5%

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!