Here in the PN-Dubs, we are knee deep into summer. Hot summer and colourful fall are fabulous seasons to explore food trucks. So N&K will be bringing you street food of Vancouver, BC.
You non-Vancouverites may not know but food truck licenses are highly coveted in the GVA. Each food truck license applicant must prove their merits… or strike it lucky in the permit-lottery stream. There are tons of hoops to jump through to get a license.
So, when you have that hot lil food truck gem in your hands, take a minute to appreciate all the hurdles it had to break through to bring you to this bodacious moment.
Category: Eatery
N&K posts on local eateries.
Review of umami at Osamu Sushi Restaurant
Deprecated: ltrim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /var/www/wptbox/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 3030
Years ago, Osamu Sushi‘s owners stopped in to the very shop that our baby Kells was working in.
Their suggestion: that her team have their Christmas dinner in the restaurant. They did… and it was fabulous!
Hittin That Cajun & Creole Style at Chewies Oyster Bar
There’s this friend of mine who I see couple times a year, usually on our birthdays.
Since she is partial to brunch – the best meal time for a chin wag – I decided to take her to Chewies Steam and Oyster Bar in January.
It’s a Cajun & Creole joint with locations in Kits and Coal Harbour in Vang-couver¹.
They were out of the Croque Madame so she ordered the Nola Breakfast. It looked delightful & she enjoyed this.
I had BBQ Shrimp & Grits with a Poached Egg². The shrimp were big and succulent.
Ab Fab Brunch at Fairways
Deprecated: ltrim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /var/www/wptbox/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 3030
-
- Mmm mimosas
After finishing a photoshoot with a twilight feel, graffiti and frozen water features¹ near-ish to Rocky Point², we went for a leisurely breakfast at Fairways Grill and Patio (located at the Westwood Plateau Coquitlam Golf Course).
We were the first ones there on a Sunday morning. The staff let us sneak in for a cup of coffee while they did their opening prep.
Balmy Review of Washington Avenue Grill
After a gruelling² photoshoot at Rebelkat Clothing worldwide with Cherrybomb Photography, we decided to have a spot of supper. Washington Avenue Grill was right next door and was highly recommended.
So we gave it a go and… here’s our restaurant review¹.
The place is like a mansion! Kells, our friend Cutie T and I took a couple pix in their lobby.
Sweet Dreams and Obsessions
Deprecated: ltrim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /var/www/wptbox/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 3030
Deprecated: ltrim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /var/www/wptbox/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 3030
Deprecated: ltrim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /var/www/wptbox/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 3030
Perhaps you are new to N&K or mayhaps you didn’t realize… Both Nals and Kells have a bit of a sweet tooth.
Granted we are sweet already. But we need to top up our own reserves every once in a while. As such, we are partial to bakeries that make sweet treats for our bellies. Me mumsey has been a big fan of Sweet Obsession‘s tiramisu for years. So my tums was introduced to this lovely delight ages ago.
Our beloved Cadeau Bakery (read our review and Cadeaux’s response) was closed on one of our monthly sugar-topping jaunts. We had to find a replacement toute de suite! Luckily, I remembered this beaut just in time. So off we went.
We had lunch (chicken & brie sammy for La Kells and chipotle corn chowda for Miss Nals). Yummy yums. And we finished off with two lovelies: Triple Choco Mousse and Peanut Butter mousse. Ohhh yeah!
Triple the chocolate (white, milk, dark) means triple the sweet creamery velvety happiness. Each layer holds its own but they go real well with each other too.
The PB mouse seamlessly slithers off the spoon and smoothly into your mouth. Thank you tastebuds for waiting so patiently. (We know that you know that it was worth it.)
We’ve tried lots of other things like White Choco Raspberry (a bit too light on the raspberry) and Sour Cherry Danish (more like a bread pudding, challenging to eat daintily but nice flavour).
For take-out, I’ve gotten lovely homemade caramels, granola and biscotti.
Beverages: plenty o’ choices with various espresso, tea, lemonades and bottled slurps.
Parking: plenty available on the street.
Seating: limited, cramped, uncomfortable small wooden furniture (good for half pints but if you’ve got any semblance of a super-bass then uh be prepared to do the old eat-then-boot).
Ordering/Serving: is a bit odd. You can go up front for takeout. But if dining in, you’re supposed to sit and wait to order. However this is not necessarily evident so folks order at the counter then sit. While others who are there first, following the rules of engagement, wait… and wait…
Ambience– not much of one. The space is defo too small for all the goodies it contains, even if you are there to order take-out.
Our conclusion:
YES you should try this casual place. However, if you want to relax while you enjoy your loot… then get takeout and park yourself elsewhere (at a park or have a little walk in the chi-chi area).
Have we enticed you to try Sweet Obsessions bakery-cafe?
Do you have your own tips or take on it?
Let us know by commenting below!
Drop It Like It’s Hot
Lately, it’s been raining a lot here in this temperate rainforest climate. It’s a gloomy and cold and damp. Kells and I decided to warm up by popping into a hot shop. So in we go to the casual The Ramen Butcher (RB) for lunch. RB is in the Menya Kouji Group, and pseudo-secretly tucked away into a half-street in Chinatown.
There was a bit of a line up as the place is smallish and it was grub time. 
But we got in in under 5 minutes. Window seat of course. (Kells insisted on this or we’d walk! JK.)
Ambience:
It’s all woodwork inside, with a collection of seating areas from typical slide-in booths to tall bar-type long tabletops. In the middle of the room, these tabletops have little cubbies right underneath. Handy little place for your wet umbrella* or your purse or your chinchilla**. Unfortunately this creates a problem for 
us long-legged folks (challenging to comfortably place the thighs under this contraption when using the handy foot bar-rests). Half pints would probably be ok.
Service:
Servers are peppy little ladies and gents that zip around. They are efficient and friendly. Food came in after a short wait, and was hot on arrival.
R a m e n S c i e n c e:
Have you guys ordered ramen before? I’m not talking about the 3-minute pot-noodle stuff. There is a whole science and process to ramen noodles and soup.
- The main difference from other noodlers is that the ramens are alkaline. So they can be dropped into and withstand searing hot temps of broth, without getting limp. (& who the heck wants a limp noodle?) They come in thick versions (tsukemen) or thin (ramen).
- The broth is also a bit complicated, made with chicken +/- pork. There’s the thicker, opaque, white broth (paitan). Then there’s the delicate clear broth (chintan).
- Lastly, there’s the filling/topping (chicken, pork, egg, seaweed, veg, etc.).
Our RB order
At Ramen Butcher, these are all pre-assembled into menu items but the trio of components is the basic idea. We ordered:
– Karaage to start. It was crispy boneless goodness that came with pan-fried cabbage and rice.
– Our lunch main was Chicken Ramen. This dish had thin ramen noodles with the clear chintan broth. It also came with a half-egg, chicken pieces and chicken meatballs. I was a little skeptical that a clear broth would have delicious flavour and mouthfeel. I think of wimpy consommé when I hear clear broth. (But this made me think of pho which is clear and totes flavourful… but is also made with umami-filled beef.)
However, Ramen Butcher did not disappoint. They clearly (ha ha) take their ramen noodling and brothing seriously. The result is a delicious bowl of ramen.
Critiques:
-The long-tables (as described above).
-Parking is an issue for Chinatown. So take transit or walk. If you have to drive, try to carpool or… come early to find a spot.
-RB is smallish so if you have a party>6, prepare to wait a bit for a table at peak grub time.
Conclusion:
- Kells has been here before. But, this was my first time. And we will defo be back! We’re intrigued by their gyoza, Red Spicy Ramen, Black Garlic and Classic Tsukemen. You guys have got to try this place!
Fun fact: Only recently did The Ramen Butcher incorporate English into their Japanese menus.
Penny for your thoughts?
Let us know what you think by clicking on Leave a Comment, exclusively available in this post’s tag cloud.
End bits
*There are 2 kinds of Vancouverites – those that carry an umbrella and those that don’t bother. Kells and I are the latter. (We choose rain jackets instead.)
**Fair warning: You can’t bring your pet into a food establishment in Vancouver. Unless it’s a guide dog…or guide chinchilla.
Belle du jour
Imagine the ambience of a small bustling Parisian patisserie, tucked away in a quiet corner. Quaint garden-furniture-esque seating with walls in soothing hues of blue and off-white. Off to the side, an armoire contains the creamers and sweeteners to tastify your beverages. The aroma of baked love is intoxicating. And then oh la la the little takeaways wrapped up in cellophane with sweet wisps of ribbon – biscotti, madelines, chocolate dipped trinkets…
Well N&Kers, hold on to your bonnets because this place is for reals, yo. Cadeaux Bakery is situated on Powell Street in Vancouver, BC. The open-concept has a refreshingly honest what-you-see-is-what-you-get vibe. Bakers and sous-chefs dot the back of the establishment. They work hard to bring us a variety of deliciousness from the usual fare (sweet & savoury croissants, quiches, petit fours, choux patisserie) to the creative (funky cakes, parfaits).
Food is made daily, and thus offerings differ daily**. Kells & I have tried some of the 5-layered cakes (London Fog, Dark Chocolate Cassis, Coconut Choco, Carrot), cheesecakes (Triple Choco Cheesecake, Vanilla), meringues and parfaits. (They also have ice cream and sorbets, but we haven’t yet partaken.)
To complement your food, they have espresso drinks and tea leaved-cuppas. They also have a house made lavendar syrup. Very subtle but lovely.
The sweets are not too saccharine or heavy. The whipped cake icing is amazingly light. This leaves plenty of room to experience the ingredients and the perfectly-executed baking techniques on your taste buds.
We love love love it here.
Conclusion: you must try this joint.
Apparently, every well rounded review should have a critique. So here goes:
1) It’s not open 24/7 (way to slack off, guys)*
2) Offerings change daily**
*Chef Eleanor, we lovingly plead, if you have thought of an outreach model to cover your ‘closed’ days?
**Daily offerings are a catch 22. We love that you can walk in and not know what loveliness is in store that day. But we tried a savoury bread pudding last year. And my goodness, we’ve been patiently waiting but it hasn’t yet made the second rounds. (At least not on one if our monthly visits.)