DINE FINE - MINAMI - YALETOWN VANCOUVER

 am not a fan of fusion Japanese food. To me, I feel like Miku, and its new sister, Minami focuses far too much on the art and presentation, that it lacks what Japanese food was initally all about - the flavour. 

AMBIANCE | I had a great time at Minami I must admit. The ambiance is amazing, the old Goldfish has transformed itself into a Zen and exotic restaurant. It is a very upscale place for dates and girls night outs. I shall let the pictures speak for themselves. Overall, I find the restaurant very self-explanatory, nothing too far from the norm. 

What we ordered (Party of 4): 

Hamachi Carpaccio - citrus avocado sauce
Aburi Tenderloin Nigiri - soy glazed foie gras, negisho x 2
Toro Nigiji x 4

Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish - eggplant, spinach, shrimp-crab dumpling, wasabi-dashi broth, yuzu miso foam

Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi - pressed mackerel, miku miso sauce

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi - pressed local salmon, jalapeno, miku sauce

Dessert - Green Tea Opera - Green tea sponge infused with espresso and Frangelico liqeur, green tea butter cream, dark chocolate ganache, azuki bean cream, green tea ice cream, green tea sauce

Passionfruit Sorbet

FOOD |  I believe Minami's presentation of the dishes sells the food more than the flavour. The sushi pieces were rather mediocre. Pricing is rather expensive for the quality I received. 

Aburi Tenderloin Nigiri - Intrigued by a tenderloin and foie gras nigiri, we decided to order two pieces of this ridiculous $6 nigiri. The sushi in general was not very surprising, the flavour of the tenderloin did not mix too well with the over all piece, and the foie gras was pea-sized. It sounds more like a gimmick then it was a well-crafted dish. 

We were told the Toro was sold out for the night, but after the waitress checked she said she can provide us with the last four. Excited as we were, we were thoroughly dissapointed. All four of us have eaten around Japan and Vancouver, we are able to spot out toro and "close to" toro. We all agreed that the waitress should have insisted on the Toro being sold out, rather than give us a subpar piece.

The Sablefish was $26, which at a Japanese restaurant, is rather expensive. Thinking we could not get full from small pieces of sushi, we decided to order an entree. But the fish piece was rather small and in my opinion, it was rather random. There was a random dumpling, and foam, which I thought did nothing to enhance the dish. I really rather received just a larger piece of fish without the fuss. The fish was good. 

The Aburi Sushi, what both Miku and Minami claim to introduce to Vancouver were decent. I find the texture of the rice very plain, and the ratio between such a large piece of rice and small piece of fish confused me. I remember when I went to Miku during their opening month, the Aburi sushi literally melted in my mouth, I find this amazing factor to be lost in the presentation

Overall, I was not very satisfied with Minami. Everyone has been hyping about the restaurant, claiming it was the new "it spot", but I found this restaurant to be full of propaganda and gimmick rather than top quality food. The food was definitely not worth it for its price, but I suppose the ambiance and presentation make up for it. 

1118 Mainland St.

Vancouver BC

V6B 5P2

604-685-8080

DINE FINE - FRAICHE - WEST VANCOUVER

This is the BEST date restaurant I can recommend. Here's why:

- I love the surprise factor. 
The drive up the mountain to West Van is a tedious, but filled with anticipatory. As we drove through the residential area, where each street seems to look exactly the same - trees and mansions on both sides, I was starting to get worried that we might have gotten lost. Then in the middle of nowhere, the restaurant stands.

- The INCREDIBLE view.
When the ocean, the Stanley Park, the Lions Gate Bridge, heck, the entire Vancouver is celebrating the meal with you, I cannot ask for more. A rather bittersweet moment for me actually, our day turned out to be a thunderstorm. We lost what could have been a gorgeous sunset, but we gained a chance of a lifetime while the lightening flashed across the sky.

- The classy yet not-intimidating ambiance.
Fraiche is exactly the type of restaurant, that is simple but elegant. Fine decor, not empowering or over the top. Feels very down to earth with a mix of class. (Though for the price, no, it is certainly not down to earth). But Fraiche creates a great ambiance for bonding and chatting. The servers are impeccable.

FOOD | The food at Fraiche is what I call art from inside out. I mentioned in my last post how some restaurants seem to focus more on the presentation while sacrificing the quality of the food. Fraiche brings in the perfect balance. The food is interestingly paired. While there are lots of interesting ingredients, all ingrediants work its part, nothing more, nothing less.

Apologies I had such a wonderful time I have completely forgotten the names of the dishes, the online menu does not include the "Chef's Creations" that we ordered. 

2240 Chippendale Rd.
West Vancouver BC
V7S 3J2

Dine Fine - CHAMBAR - GASTOWN VANCOUVER

Chambar is rated as one of the most romantique restaurants in Vancouver, and what better time to taste this restaurant than on Valentine's Day?

Honestly, I had such a love hate relationship with this restaurant I actually got a little ticked off inside. I loved the decor, loved the atmosphere, loved the vibe of Chambar... but I cannot say the food is for everyone. 

AMBIANCE | If you could only describe Chambar in a sentence, it would be something like sexy romantic... cozy but mysterious... utterly charming. 

The dining portion of the restaurant is a long L shape, the entrance decorated with small couches, ideally the beer lounge. As you move towards the back (where we sat) tables got larger and it was a gorgeous dimly lit dining room. The overall ambiance is rosy burgundy, bricks and vines... mysterious but cozy. I'd definitely come again just to breathe the environment again. 

Mr. F ordered - Les coquilles St. Jaques - Seared scallops, smoked kurobuta pork cheek, pickled cheek, pickled green beans and horseradish vinaigrette

Bison et Choron fume - Peppercorn crusted bison flatiron, wild forest mushrooms, caramelized baby potatoes, cornichons, smoked tomato bearnaise

I ordered - Venison Shortloin Carpaccio - (removed from online menu apologies for forgetting the ingredients)
Taijine d'aziz a l'agneau - Braised lamb shank with honey, figs, cinnamon & cilantro, served with cous cous and zalouk

Paired with Gruen '09 Riesling White

Menu found here

FOOD | Now the genre of food is European mixed fusion food (or that's what I'd call it). They are most famous for their Belgian beer and Moules Frites - which I did not try, I had white wine instead. I have heard wonderful things about their Moules Frites being the best in Vancouver, I will definitely return to try.

But as for their dining appetizers and main courses, I have a bit of a funny story. Mr. F ended up swapping appies because he didn't fancy his appie so much, and I swapped my main course with him because fancy my main course. The server noticed our switch-a-roo and we sparked at cute conversation. 
From the ingredients, I could tell the chef did a thoughtful job of putting together fusion pairings on the menu. But I cannot say the tasting suites everyone, at least not all the tastes suited me and Mr. F. The scallops were amazing, Mr. F didn't prefer the pickled cheeks and picked green beans. My braised lamb shank was cooked to a tender meat, but I would've preferred a difference sauce and herbs. That said, the Venison (similar to deer) Carpaccio and Bison were definitely more universal items in terms of flavour, which I enjoyed more.

Universality can be a positive and negative thing to restaurants. By all means, it makes no impact towards the rating of culinary skills, rather the restaurant should be rated on a different scale. Ethnic foods are full with flavour and culture, unfamiliarity on my part only makes me sound extremely ignorant. I am not disappointed, rather I can say I was surprised. That said, I will return to Chambar, there are plenty of other delicious foods on the menu that are awaiting me to try, the Moules Frites and Belgian beer for sure. 

562 Beatty Street
Vancouver, BC

DINE OUT - SIP RESTO LOUNGE - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

Dine Out Vancouver post #2!

I struggled with this post. I had a great time at this restaurant, my company was great, the service was impeccable,everything was going well, except the food. My last visit at Cardero's left me with a better impression of the Dine Out Vancouver gimmick, but it seems like I'm in for a roller coaster ride.

I understand $18 Dine Out Menus are the cheapest one, I also understand Dine Out means busier nights and pre-made food - but it doesn't mean I'm not expecting quality food. You may say "what you pay is what you get", but the intention of Dine Out Vancouver is to offer a chance for restaurants to showcase their kitchen at a discounted price, in hopes people will return for their regular menu. To me, Dine Out Vancouver is supposed to be a gateway for restaurants to attract potential customers, not drive them away.

AMBIANCE | I have heard about SIP on the radio numerous times. I have always been curious about it, and finally suggested to try it with a girlfriend. SIP is a small restaurant, its partnering restaurant, The Refinery sits upstairs. The restaurant itself is very cramped, we sat in a booth that fits only one butt (haha), I could barely fit my purse next to me. Our coats were hung on a hook to the side of the booth - this irritated me. As you probably guessed, I am an incredibly picky person, I get very paranoid when my coat is hung there as servers walk quickly next to it. I always imagine my coat falling to the floor or somebody spilling something on to it. Its open kitchen 3 meters away from me didn't help my paranoia either.

We had an amazing chance to be served by the owner of the restaurant. We didn't find out until we started chatting and he even offered us a free drink! He is an amazing guy with a great personality, strong management skills and incredible sense of humour. He was definitely the hi-light of our night.

 Food Ordered:

 Tuna Tower - marinated albacore tuna, cool coleslaw, tropical pineapple
Beef Carpaccio - arugula,  garlic aioli, aged parmigianno

Guiness Grilled Chicken - free range, organic chicken, roasted garlic mas, season veggies, guiness gravy

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin - bacon wrapped, apple and caramelized onion filling, roasted garlic, seasonal veggies and strongbow cider pan sauce

Frangelio Chocolate Cake - chocolate ganache, seasonal fruits

FOOD | This was my first time trying an $18 Dine Out Menu, and I probably never will again.

The beef carpaccio is naturally a expensive dish, so for a $18 menu, I wasnt expecting too much.

The tuna was not a tower, nor was it coleslaw, but a mixture immersed in very salty sauces with a cracker on top.

The chicken sounded amazing on the menu but was only flavourful when loaded up in hot sauce (which we asked the server for). I really only enjoyed the mash potatoes. The mashed potatoes were amazing.

The bacon with stuffing  I could not even tell what was stuffed inside, until I looked up the menu again to type up this post. But it tasted quite alright! This dish was perhaps the only one that I enjoyed.

The chocolate cake as expected, was far too sweet. I didn't finish it.

I hate being a harsh critic, but in a nutshell, the food was very mediocre, very disappointing.

The service is a drive for me to come back if my friends decide to pick this restaurant in the future, but I most likely will not be choosing this restaurant myself.

1117 Granville Street
604-687-7474