Dine Fine: GYU-KAKU JAPANESE BBQ - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

Gyu-Kaku has close to 25 restaurants worldwide, the Vancouver location being its latest addition and only location in Canada. Gyu-Kaku places its location in higher-end metropolitan areas such as Beverly Hills (currently celebrating their 10 year anniversary), Los Angeles, NY Times Square (coming soon), Chicago, Hong Kong, Singapore etc... I am rather proud Vancouver made it on to Gyu- Kaku's list to be Canada's first location (as opposed to Toronto, pardon offense my torontoers). Nonetheless, after tasting this restaurant, there is a very distinct reason why Gyu-Kaku is so successful around the world.

Gyu-Kaku is part of Japan's REINS International Inc - a corporation of over 1200 restaurants and 500 employees. Its president and founder Tomoyoshi Nishiyama, openly centers his corporation around one philosophy: "Kando Sozo" and one slogan: "All for customer's smile". Such philosophy strives for each diner and each working environment to exceed expectations and create memorable experiences. 

The menu's are printed with cute messages. Believe me when I say this is not just a cheesy marketing tactic, Gyu-KakuJapanese BBQ Vancouver excels in all areas of service and creativity.

AMBIANCE | Rather mediocre, I'd critique. Well, it is stylishly black, filled with urban and minimalistic Japanese culture. But the overall ventilation could've been more thought out - it was evident we were sweating sloppily from hovering over the BBQ and the entire restaurant was very humid. You don't realize how steamy and foggy the restaurant is until you leave and walk outside. Ladies and gents, this restaurant would not be the best place for wools or silk, meat and oil are far an attractive fragrance -  stick to tees cotton. Oh, and remember to wash your hair and face immediately when you get home!!
Service is impeccable, waiters and waitresses are dressed Japanese aprons and head bandanas, they even kneel down to pour your tea! The servers are very attentive to when you finish your dish, when you run out of tea and even when your BBQ tray needs to be replaced. Each time, they serve with you with a warm smile and a Japanese accented "thank you". I don't expect such service from any restaurant, but it is such a nice surprise. Arigato gozaimasu!

Mr. F and I ordered:
Fried Tofu Nuggets

Mushroom Medley
Sweet Potato with Butter

Spiniach Garlic

Garlic Cloves

Eggplant

Corn with Butter

Garlic Mushroom

Premium Rib Eye (Aged Angus rib eye)

Harami Skirt Steak (Aged Angus outside skirt steak)
Kalbi Short Rib

Gyu-Tan (Slices of beef Tongue)

 Menu found here 

FOOD | That is one excessive long list. Believe me (again), portions are rather small.

I loved the veggies, but these little monsters are expensive! 4 pieces of corn, 5 slices of eggplant, 5 mushrooms, 8 cubes of potato etc... $4 before tax EACH DISH. These few dishes alone were well over $30. Oh, and I burnt a few pieces of eggplant. That said, my favourite dishes are the Sweet Potato with Butter and Mushroom Medley - definite must orders. The perfect combo of garlic and butter are addicting, one dish was far from satisfying my taste buds, I could not stop ordering one after another.

The menu recommends 2-3 meat dishes per person, I would say 2 dishes MINIMUM per person. Well, I am a carnivore, I need meaty protein. Meat slices are thin and scarce, but the sauces are amazing: tare, shio, miso, farlic, yuzu, spicy mayo, you are allowed to choose one sauce per meat. The meat is very fresh, tender and well seasoned. The Harami Skirt Steak and Kalbi Short Rib are "favourites" and "featured" items of the menu and were certainly lived up to its name. I love the idea of cooking my own meat, I enjoy my meat rare to medium rare and I can easily control and cater to my preference.

To be honest, there is not much to be said about the food here. Prices are high and I can recreate these dishes at home without much effort. But I walked into this restaurant knowing that I would say this. Walking in, I knew I wasn't in for fine dining this time around, I was in for fun and ambiance.  

Food is simple and predictable; although these terms are rather negative, sometimes dining is more enjoyable if we appreciate the process of light-heartedly cooking with people you cherish.

888 Nelson St

Vancouver, BC
604-558-3885

Dine Fine: LE CROCODILE - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

I am going to make a bold statement here in the world of Blogger: I think I have found my new love. Le Crocodile is the GEM of Vancouver. I am sure many of you would agree.

AMBIANCE | I described the setting of Modavie (my first blog post set in Montreal) to be very "old school Mary Jane". Today, I would describe Le Crocodile to be "Maria Jane". Modavie is a romantic down-to-earth country bumpkin restaurant (down to earth, I mean decor NOT prices). Le Crocodile is also a romantic, but upscale and smart French venue. Imagine Mary Jane flat shoes compared to Mary Jane stilettos. "Mary" being the shorted from "Maria" is such that both restaurants are similar in French cuisine and tradition, but Le Crocodile is much more sophisticated. 

Le Crocodile is definitely an impressive restaurant for dates and anniversaries. While it is a swanky restaurant, its decor is far from flamboyant and extravagant. Its mood is very floral and clean. Simple with swatches of oak, burgundy and champagne, it is dated yet classic, minimalistic yet chic. 

Valet service, coat check, ushers and servers, service is only the best. Our server's light humor was a pleasure.

My birthday was a few months ago, pardon the late post, I stalled on my post for Le Crocodile to wholeheartedly sit down, and do this wonderful restaurant the justice it deserves.

Mr. F ordered - Bisque de Homard parfumée au Cognac - Lobster Bisque served with Fresh Cream and Cognac

Carré d’Agneau Rôti, Jus de Thym et Sabayon à la Moutarde - Roasted Rack of Lamb, Fresh Thyme Jus and Mustard Sabayon

I ordered -  Escargots Maison - Snails baked in Pastry Shells, with Garlic Butter

 Caille Grillée et Foie de Canard Poêlé, Réduction de Calvados - Grilled Quail and Pan Seared Duck Foie Gras, Calvados Reduction

Dessert ordered - Panache de Sorbet aux Fruits Frais - Fresh Fruit Sorbets Made Daily 

Crème Brulée a l’Orange - Crème Brulée with essence of Fresh Orange

Menu found here 

FOOD |  Le Crocodile is not marketed to be a "light" diner, all dishes are intricately designed to be rich and thick.Do not come with even a half-full stomach, come prepared to feast on quality food.

The presentation of the complementary starting bread is like a trailer to a movie. It is the very first impression and tasting of a restaurant, all while holding a suspense towards the courses to come. Many places surprisingly, in my opinion, fail to see the importance and significance of this starter - for I have been to many places with not only rock hard, but slightly stale, day-old bread. Le Crocodile left me with a smile on my face even before I started the courses. The choices of white and multi-grain fresh oven bread was warm and fluffy. The warmth melted further melted the butter into a golden essence. This sneakpeek was definitely a thrill before the main launch

Mr. F's choice of lobster bisque with lamb is a perfect combination. The creamy and smooth texture was a lovely entrance to a lamb entree. While lamb is quite filling, the side veggies complement the heavy sauces wonderfully. Mr. F critiques that Modavie's "lamb specialty" title still holds champion, but Le Crocodile's lamb is in a close second place.  

The lobster bisque would not have eased me into my heavy duck main course, as the bisque is far too rich in flavour, but the escargots were amazing! Garlic and buttered escargots were sitting in thin crispy pastry shells looking not only adorable, but tasting golden and juicy. I even used the remaining complementary starting bread to soak up all the sauce left on the plate after we finished the shells. It hurt me to leave any bit of this dish to waste. The Escargot Maison, literally translated as the "House of snails", is my favourite dish on the menu and I say that with a certainty even though I haven't tried everything. My bird entree was beautifully tender and soft. A rather large dish, the sauce while a bit heavy, did not dominating the meat. I simply cannot get enough of fois gras - the luxury of this ingredient was cooked to perfection by Le Crocodile. 

In all, I urge your to bring your loved ones here, you will not regret the experience.

909 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC

Lunch Munch - THE BOATHOUSE - PORT MOODY VANCOUVER

There's nothing better than having a wild Saturday night and going to brunch on a sunny Sunday morning. I love eggs Benny!

The Boathouse never fails to keep me going back. I've been to the Kits Beach and Downtown venues numerous times for both lunch and dinner, but this time it was my first going to Port Moody for brunch. I love how each restaurant is facing the water, the Boathouse concept is too delightful!

Mr. F ordered - Lobster Grilled Cheese Benny - golden grilled cheese with chunks of lobster meat, topped with poached eggs, fresh hollandaise & a drizzle of basil oil

I ordered - Prime Rib Hash - Kennebec potatoes, onions, red pepper, edamame, red wine demi, topped with two poached eggs & fresh hollandaise. Served toasted olive bread.
Menu found here

AMBIANCE | As with all The Boathouse restaurants, you really cannot go wrong with the ambiance - eating Seafood in front of the sea (or lake). Pictures say a million words, there are 4 posted. It's really quite the expected beauty.

    

FOOD | My Prime Rib Hash was really just a normal stir fry of all the ingredients mixed equally. I loved the cheese curds and prime rib with a slight Asian blend of edamame and sauteed onions. Lobster grilled cheese was also a pleasant - thick chunks of lobster squashed in between rich, thick cheese. The eggs Benedict were slow cooked to a firm egg white and gooey oozy egg yolk. Absolutely GOLDEN! Both dishes had neither difficulty and nor elaboration, but it tasted amazing. 

Overall, The Boathouse was never meant to be "fine dining", but its always as nice casual place for simple, good food.

2770 Esplanade Ave
Port Moody, BC(604) 931-5300

Lunch Munch - MODAVIE - OLD MONTREAL

A panorama of flowered cobblestone streets, veined brick walls, mixed with smiles full of steak and gravy - Montreal is truly a perfect harmony of classic Parisian romance and relaxed Canadian informality.

During my 3 month stay in Toronto, I wanted to explore the East coast and hence, I picked Quebec as one of my destinations. Despite the 6 hour drive, I honestly could not be more happy with my choice of venue and travel buddy. Our trip was a total of three days, to which we dedicated one full day and a half browsing Old Montreal. To be honest, there were so many beautiful restaurants in every block I couldn't remember my way around the town, let alone remember the restaurant choices. Each diner roamed with the smell of garlic and cheese, together with a rainbow of tourists, it was rather overwhelming. Pleasantly overwhelming that is, you will never experience anything like this in homie Vancity. There's something about strolling through this city that leaves a warm feeling I've never felt in Vancouver - maybe it's the sense of craving poutine, maybe it's the sight of the sun reflecting in the sea, or maybe it's just the joy of R&R I haven't had in a while. With all, Montreal is definitely a place I will return to.

Now I normally don't write this much, it's a FOOD blog not a talk-about-yourself-jibberish blog. But really, I just had to document Montreal, at least for the whole world to see...

Mr. F and I were down to decide between Steak Frites and Modavie for lunch. Both on opposite corners, both specializing in different foods - steak and lamb, respectively. Modavie has a little stamp on their menu quoting "Lamb, our Speciality". Mr. F loves lamb - everything from Asian hot pot lamb chops to the classic herb rack of lamb, so the decision was obvious. 

Mr. F ordered the Rack of Lamb - with goat cheese, Dijon mustard and sesame

I ordered the Endive & Apple Salad - with Roquefort and walnut oil vinaigrette

Menu found here: http://www.modavie.com/Menus05/menu%20VM.pdf

       

DISHES | Mr. F loved the rack of lamb, and naturally I snitched a few bites from him. I actually don't have much to critique about the lamb - it was the same as I expected. I had high expectations for a restaurant claiming "lamb, our speciality", and I certainly was not disappointed. I didn't taste much of the Dijon mustard, which wasn't too big of a deal, because the blend of herbs and spices topped with sesame were already sufficient. In terms of the lamb being gamey, I'd say the lamb was cooked to a medium rare perfection - tender yet not gamey. Should be majority accepted... that said...

The goat cheese for my apple salad was incredibly gamey. But sooo good! It literally melts in your mouth! But I normally don't mind it being gamey anyways (perhaps because I'm born in the year on the lamb?), and thought the goat was a perfect addition to my simple salad. The cook cleverly toned down the already mild vinaigrette, allowing the strong goat cheese to be the main focus of the dish. The sweet apples and hints of walnuts together with the fresh greens acted as a light companion to the fabulous cheese. I really enjoyed the salad. A perfect portion for lunch.

AMBIENCE | We sat in the corner of the restaurant with wide wooden windows alluring a soft breeze. I have a soft spot for old school Mary Jane romance - paintings, wood, copper and cobblestone mixed with white table clothes and country flowers. Yup, just like pretty much every girl in the world, I loved the interior of this restaurant. The ceiling and walls were actually painted water stains and burnt brick residue to add to its mature aura. The old bar in the middle and wall of wines was very comfortable and inviting. It is such a nice break from the usual contemporary lounge-y feel of bling metropolitan cities. I love this authentic European feel thats only a few provinces away.

Would I try Modavie again? Mr. F and I both agree - Yes. The same dishes? Probably not. Given lamb is their specialty, next time I would try lamb again, but opt for another seasoning technique. Don't get me wrong, the rack of lamb was utterly amazing - but nothing completely outside the box. The apple salad was gorgeous - but I do scope more interesting dishes on the menu. 
To try next time? Dinner. Absolutely. Had I known there would be live Jazz during dinner, I would have waited the one hour lineup.

While there are many food choices on the strips of Old Montreal, Modavie is definitely a comfortable and light restaurant to enjoy the classic life of the French Canadian fusion.

1 Rue Saint Paul Ouest

Montreal, QC

H2Y 1Y6, Canada(514) 287-9582