We finally caved and went to White Spot.  There's one near our place en route to the gym, and we pass by it nearly every day, but we have never set foot inside that restaurant.  Instead, we ended up at the North Van White Spot after a trip to Wal-mart (did you know there's one at Capilano Mall)?  We decided to give it a try because someone told us that the White Spots are better in BC than they are in AB.  Both Hubbs & I did not enjoy our visit to White Spot Edmonton many years ago, so we were a bit wary of dining at a WS in Van, even if it was for lunch (less commitment and cost than dinner).

Anyway, it was a late Sunday lunch, and Hubbs was feeling pretty tired, so we weren't in a particularly foodie mood.  Hubbs selected their seafood risotto and I ordered the turkey club on whole wheat, with sweet potato fries.  The server was competent and quick, and the restaurant was super quiet so late in the afternoon, so we got our food quickly.  Hubbs' risotto was cheesy and hearty and pretty loaded down with seafood, which justified its higher price ($18?).  My club sandwich was *huge* and I couldn't actually fit my large mouth around it, so I had to eat it in layers and leave half my bread at the end of the meal.  The bacon was meh, but the turkey was uber-tasty and moist.  The sweet potato fries were awesome, though, made moreso by the chipotle dip that accompanied it.  That was my meal highlight.

For a cheap dinner (or a pricier lunch), White Spot as a place is pretty good.  It is certainly better than the White Spot in E-town, and I was actually a little surprised at how pleasant my dining experience was.  I thought it was going to be more like a Smitty's, but I'm glad it was a half-step up from that.

Service: 3.5 out of 5

Food: 3.5 out of 5

Lombardo's Pizza

We were initially going to go for Thai food.  Then it was changed to French (my idea), then Hubbs thought better and declared it an Italian night.  I grudgingly agreed, the grudging made moreso when Hubbs took me on a "scenic route" down Burrard St. before bringing me to Lombardo's.  I didn't quite appreciate the two scraggly folks yelling, "F*** off!" and "F*** you!" to each other at the bus stop on Burrard.  It was sketchy and scary to me (Hubbs says I've become spoiled).

Anyway, the place was crowded when we arrived, and we snagged their last table.  We totally would've made a reso if they would have accepted one, but thankfully our timing was fortuitous since they don't.  We were led up to a tiny 2-top on the 3rd floor (well, 2nd floor but they also have tables on the landing half-way up the stairs).  Shortly after being seated, as in 30 seconds, we were asked for a drink order.  I had ice tea.  

Then, down to the ordering.  Of course I was going to have pizza, though Hubbs was torn between pizza and pasta.  He eventually caved in to my insistence that previous reviewers liked the pizza more, and ordered himself a Salmone pizza.  I had the Al Due Formaggi.  We also shared calamari to start. 

Given how full the place was, we were pleasantly surprised to see that our appies came quickly.  The dip with the calamari was super yummy, though I wasn't fond of the tubular nature of their squid.  I liked the tentacles the best. :)  The wait for the pizza was a little longer, but still within the realm of reasonable.  Hubbs loved his pizza, while I liked mine.  Maybe it was the tomatoes, but my pizza was soggy in the middle, to the point of forming a wet puddle in the middle of my plate.  I ended up having to sop up some of the liquid with my napkin (gross!), and even then I found my pie lacking in crust crispiness.

After our meal was done, we shared a tiramisu.  That was my favourite part of the night; the creamy whipped goodness in this dessert was enough to make me melt.  Better yet, the tiramisu wasn't overloaded with ladyfingers, which I like but not in excess.  I say, bring on the sugary marscapone cream!  Hubbs had insisted that I actually eat half of the dessert (which I don't always do), and this time I gladly complied.

The bill at the end of the night was respectable, though I was a bit chuffed that when I asked our server to break my $20 for me, she ended up bringing back two $10's and claming that she couldn't get anyone to break it down any further.  Say what?!  What sort of restaurant doesn't have a float?  What sort of restaurant can't give me a $5 and some change?!?  WTF.  I wasn't too pleased with her for that.

All in all, in the end I had a decently good meal, so I didn't give Hubbs the gears too much about choosing Italian over French (I wanted to head to Les Faux Bourgeois).  I get to pick our next major dine-out though, so I'm going to make sure it's a place that can make change and doesn't sog-out on the pizza.

Service: 3 out of 5

Food: 3.5 out of 5 (4 out of 5 on the tiramisu)

Kamei Royale

It's been a sushi sort of week for Hubbs & I.  On the weekend we headed back to Kamei Royale for dinner.  We had been here several times before, but I guess I never thought to review it until today.

Anyway, the place is boothy, and there are several tatami rooms.  The restaurant is quite large, so I've never seen it packed, though some nights it has appeared to be quite busy.  The restaurant is more fancy, given its off-Robson location; it is the sort of place that someone might take their date.  It's also very Japanese, right down to their servers.  The menu is extensive, and yet every time Hubbs & I have ever come, we've had the rolls (depsite being huge fans of sushi).  This visit was no exception.  We ordered their Cherry Blossom, Delicious, Samurai, and Lobster rolls, and two pieces of nigiri toro.

The rolls came out in due time, and were generally quite tasty.  I really liked the Cherry Blossom roll because it wasn't obscured by sauce and was loaded with raw fish, and the seaweed salad in the middle was flavourful and yummy.  The Delicious roll had mango in it, but I couldn't taste any of the mango at all, which was a bit disappointing.  Hubbs loved the lobster roll, and I found it good but heavier due to the deep-fried tempura batter around the lobster.  The Samurai was tasty but the sauce that was drizzled on it had a bit of a kick to it, so my mouth would light on fire temporarily after each bite.  The toro nigiri was super good, and I probably would have been happy to eat that all night.

Overall, Kamei Royale serves some very tasty food.  We've been there before, and we'll be there again.  Kamei Royale isn't inexpensive, however; it will set you back quite a bit more money than some other Japanese places ($13/roll).  You pay for the atmosphere as much as you do for the quality of the food, so be warned in advance.  I do think Kamei Royale is a great choice for sushi novices, though, since their large menu offers both cooked and raw items and can accommodate both adventurous eaters and the faint of heart.

Service: 4 out of 5

Food: 4 out of 5

 

Mandala Iki Asian Bistro

Hubbs and I stopped in for a quick bite at Mandala Iki over the weekend, attracted by the "Brown Rice Sushi" sign hanging outside the shop.  We've not seen any other restaurant that offers this, so we were pretty psyched at the prospect of having healthy sushi (and not having to forego the rice).

When we arrived, I was struck by the bareness of the place.  A sushi station at the back of the restaurant, with a kitchen tucked away behind said station.  A flat screen TV on the wall, playing TSN.  Booths lining both sides of the wall, and tables set up in a linear pattern in the middle of the room.  A loaded bar (and till) at the front of the boxy restaurant, on one side.  Everything was sort of simply laid out, and completely unpretentious.  It felt efficient (must be Chinese owned, I reason).

Anyway, when we got our menus, I was struck again - this time by the affordable prices.  I could hardly believe my eyes: rolls for only $7 - 9?!? I'm used to the outrageous Kamei Royale roll prices...you know, $14/roll.  This was a pleasant surprise, but of course my skepticism kicked in and I wondered how good the food would be.  The fact that the restaurant serves very traditional Chinese fare (congee, fried rice noodles) along with sushi was enough to make me a bit wary.  

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded.  We ordered 4 rolls (Crispy Lobster, Crispy Mango, Negitoro, Kits Rolls) and 2 pieces of toro nigiri, all with brown rice.  When the rolls came out, I almost died of delight.  They were sizeable pieces, fresh, tasty, and not greasy.  When I read "crispy" I was expecting a bit of tempura overload, but they totally redefined crispy for me.  I think they used sesame seeds or something, because all of the rolls (including the ones with a tempura shrimp inside) were not the least bit greasy.  I particularly loved the Mango roll (a specialty) because the juicy sweet mango flavour was very prominently featured.  The rolls each had its own distinct flavour, and the brown rice was sufficiently moist as to not seem like I was eating brown rice.  The toro nigiri was fresh too, and a good sized piece of toro was offered; the fish wasn't as melt-in-your-mouth as some other specialty sushi restaurants, but for $1.75/piece I was willing to "settle" for this delicious giant hunk of tuna belly.

The best part (aside from the speed of service, due to a lack of patrons at 4:00 in the mid-afternoon) was the bill...a whopping $32! That was it!! Hubbs and I even had tea ($0.75/cup, not the best deal ever) and we rolled outta there with full bellies and not-so-empty wallets.

Will we be back? Hell yes!  Probably on a semi-weekly basis, too.  Next time I might also want to check out their "Chinois" food, since I have a serious hankerin' for some sweet & sour pork (also on their menu).  Hubbs already has his eye on some of the other rolls, and of course he loves that Lobster Roll so he'll be back for it, probably even this week! ;)

Service: 3.5 out of 5

Food: 4.5 out of 5

Update

Hubbs & I came back here a few days ago, and I tried their ginger beef.  It was, no word of a lie, the best ginger beef I've ever had.  They used slices of tender beef instead of sticks of dry over-fried beef, and instead of deep-frying with a ton of batter, they used a light batter (I'm guessing made with cornstarch) and so the beef was crispy yet still soft enough to chew.  The sauce had a good gingery kick to it, leaving my mouth on fire for a bit afterwards.  Hubbs loved it too, and we ended up devouring the entire dish before our rolls even arrived.  Next time I might try their sweet & sour pork.  Even thinking about their food now is making me drool...yum.

Slickety Jim's Chat & Chew

Hubbs & I came here last weekend for some breakfast. We didn't want to look loserish and hit up Paul's Omelletry two days in a row, so we opted to try this place for one of the mornings, having seen a review for it in the dining guide.

Slickety Jim's Chat & Chew is one of those hipster breakfast places that aims for a retro-funky feel. It reminded me a lot of Sophie's Cosmic Cafe, complete with old toys (think disembodied doll heads on mantle pieces) and weird photographs covering the walls. The cafe is also quite small, with line-ups that run out the door 10-people deep.

We waited about 15 minutes before we got seated, and lucky for us, we got a booth! The party of 2 ahead of us ended up at a table that was situated literally 3 inches away from the table beside them. In our booth, we had some privacy to converse.

Hubbs ordered eggs benedict with prosciutto and gorgonzola and I had french toast and hash with a side of bacon. We also ordered coffees that tasted not nearly as good as the stuff at Paul's.

When our food came out (it took a while because of the busy-ness of the place and the lack of servers - there were only 2 working), I was ravenous. Unfortunately, my french toast was only mediocre and the maple syrup they poured over it had run all over my potatoes, which were also only mediocre. Hubbs loved his eggs benedict, and even at the mention of it now he begins to salivate. I guess the lesson learned is to order the benny and not the french toast.

In the end the breakfast cost was comparable to Paul's, the service was friendly but slow, and the food was okay. If you're into eggs benedict and you have free time to spare in the morning, come here. If not, you may wish to try a less popular breakfast joint.

Service: 3.5 out of 5

Food: 3.5 out of 5

Yoshi

As an early birthday celebration, Hubbs decided to take me out for dinner during the middle of the week.  I love when he gets all spontaneous, so of course I was willing! :) He had his heart set on trying out Yoshi on Denman, since it isn't too far from where we live and we're both big fans of Japanese food.  In flying by the seat of our pants, we didn't even make a reservation, and just sort of dropped in.

The restaurant, more sizeable than I had imagined, was nearly empty when we arrived.  Their special "party room" was booked for the night, but I have no idea how large that party was.  The room was sectioned off from the rest of the restaurant and I couldn't get a visual.  Just as we got to the restaurant, I noticed that it had started snowing outside.  Snow at the end of February in VANCOUVER?!? It wasn't the best way to start off the night.

As we browsed through the menu, Hubbs suggested that we try omakase.  Of course, they didn't have omakase at Yoshi's; they only had Kaiseki.  Hubbs then suggested that we go for the full K, but I suggested that we stick with the mini-K, knowing that we'd get a bit too full if we went for the full meal deal.

We didn't know quite what to expect from the kaiseki menu, despite the descriptions of each course.  It didn't matter too much, of course: we were ready for a culinary adventure. :)

As part of our appies, we were first served two items to kick off the meal: a cold mushroom salad and several types of "fish cakes" (fish pate).  I enjoyed some of the pate but found the pieces a bit dense and filling for my tastes.  I wanted to ease into the meal, and the mushroom salad accomplished this nicely.  The fish cakes, however, were a bit much. 

I was pretty excited to see the soup that our server brought to us next.  Given the wintry conditions developing outside, I was starting to get a hankerin' for something warm and brothy.  This clam soup was delightful and delicate, and the clams were fresh and tasty.  They gave the soup a more full-bodied flavour and offered up some good texture to boot.  This was a dish I quite enjoyed.

The dish we looked forward to most was served next: the sashimi.  We both enjoyed some excellent cuts of fish that melted in our mouths and were generously sized.  I liked the tuna the best, and I think Hubbs liked it all equally.

The grilled item came next.  We ended up with a lovely cut of grilled salmon, though I found it overcooked (I like mine a little bit on the raw side).  This was probably a leaner type of salmon, unlike the white spring salmon I'm so accustomed to.  As a result, it was flaky and I only found it meh on the yum scale.

Our next course ended up being a deep fried item; I actually forgot that we had this item to go before our last savoury dish!  Imagine my surprise (and slight fear) when the server brought out this deep fried yam or pumpkin or some other orange starchy veg, plus a deep fried shittake mushroom.  I really enjoyed the mushroom but I found the other veg a bit heavy for the end of the meal so I didn't finish it.  My tummy was getting full.

And still, the food kept on coming....our last "dish" dish and we were starting to feel pretty full.  Luckily, we ordered the sushi, and there's no policy on not finishing the rice.  We had pretty standard types of sushi so there's not much to write home about aside from saying that it was fresh and tasty, and the fish was a bit cold for my preference.

The finale: dessert.  Hubbs isn't having ice cream for a year, so he ended up ordering fruit.  I, however, stuck with the original dessert, which turned out to be a yummy vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel, a red bean dessert, and strawberries.  The red bean was a bit on the sweet side, but the ice cream finished my meal perfectly :)

Overall, I quite enjoyed our mini-kaiseki meal at Yoshi on Denman.  Given their lack of patrons that night, I feel as though we really got top-notch service and good quality food for the dollar.  The meal items were certainly not conventional, and the adventure was a lot of fun, even though we didn't love everything we were served.  Yoshi may be an even better place to go for regular sushi items, though we can only surmise this based on the few types of sushi we tried that night.  We'll likely be back to sample their maki and other types of sashimi in the future, since this omakaze-esque experience was relatively positive in our books.

Service:  4.5 out of  5

Food:  3.5 out of  5