SNAPS: SOIRETTE MACARONS & TEA

The macron influence from French Laduree into Vancouver only has history of a few years, but  macaron cafes and teahouses are slowly blooming all over town. 

Soirette is one of the late comers into the macaron trend on Vancouver, but its voice is definitely heard around town. Situated in a small shop near Coal Harbour, this teahouse carries only macarons, tea, and a few cake delights. Which in my opinion is more than enough. If macarons are their specialty, and they make the best macarons in town, macarons are the only thing they need :)

Soirette's macarons, although smaller, provide a much larger selection of flavours, and their texture is much softer and juicier. Some comment macarons to be biscuits, but Soirette definitely creates macarons to be an equilibrium of biscuit and cake. The crispy outer shell is delicate and thin, while the inner texture is a flavorful wet sponge, not to sweet, yet rich enough. 

My choice of macarons - White Chocolate Truffle, Earl Grey, Matcha, Lemon, Pistachio, Passion Fruit

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

TRIP GUIDE - SUSHI DAI - TSUKIJI FISH MARKET TOKYO JAPAN

I have never in my life, waited in line, standing on my feet for FOUR HOURS. 

But for the legendary Sushi Dai, I woke up at 2:30AM, and had the meal of a lifetime. 

TRIP GUIDE SUSHI DAI |We finished our Tuna action around 5:50AM and sprinted to Sushi Dai. I saw a line of people (say around 40-50) and thought people were waiting for the bus. When we got to Sushi Dai we saw approximately 20 people in front of it, then obaasan scolded us to another line - what I thought was the bus line. Obaasan kindly informed us that the current wait time (at 6:00AM) is 4 HOURS. We really waited for 4 hours and ate around 9:45. Sushi Dai closes at 2pm sharp, So if you plan on arriving anytime after 8:30AM, I say you'd probably will not get in. You need to expect at least a 3-4 hour wait time. The line only gets longer and longer, and there are only 13 seats in the restaurant, people after us were waiting anywhere close to 4.5 - 5 hours. 

SUSHI DAI | I have heard puns everywhere that Sushi Dai is "Sushi to Die for". I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I honestly believe Sushi Dai is as close to the word "fresh" as anyone can ever eat. The fish are perfectly translucent and my clam was still moving when served. The moment we entered the restaurant we were greeted with multiple "thank you for waiting! arigatougozaimasu!". Because there were only 13 people in the restaurant, the chefs were able to connect and interact with everyone - such as asking "where you from!" or "how do you enjoy your stay in Japan!". The chefs are so cheerful and I suddenly forgot I just stood on the street for 4 hours.

Sushi Dai is expensive, but the entire journey here in the Tsukiji Fish Market (see previous blog post) has been unforgettable. The adventure beginning at 2:30AM until waiting in line for 4 hours, with nothing to do we were literally playing rock paper scissors for an hour, we could only wait for time to pass slowly. But the anticipation only made Sushi Dai more delicious. The desire for the hyped sushi and the feeling of seeing the sushi only to still be counting the hours until it is finally in my mouth. But Sushi isn't only famed for its line and extravagance, its quality lives up to its name and reason why it IS famed and extravagant. Four hours is alot of time, but by the time we left Tsukiji it was only 11:00AM, for some tourists, its only the beginning of their day. 

There are two course choices of "trust the chef" (3900 yen/ $51 CAD) or "standard"  (2500 yen/ $33 CAD). We just waited 4 hours, its a no brainer for us to pig out on the deluxe menu. The Chef menu or "Omakase" consisted of 10 nigiri sushi, 4 sushi rolls, tamago (sweet egg) and one extra item of your hearts pleasure. We even added on 2-3 more sushi each on top of the regular menu. 

Otoro/ Tuna Belly/ Fatty Tuna

Hirame

Miso Soup

Uni/ Sea Urchin

  

Aji/ Horse Mackerel

 

Ika/ Squid

Akagi/ Red Clam

Lean Tuna

 Shira Ebe/ Baby Shrimp

 Tamago/ Sweet Egg

 Unagi/ Sea Eel

 Scallop

 Otoro/ Fatty Tuna (again!)

Lunch Munch: STACKHOUSE BURGER BAR - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

I have found a new burger love! Burgers are the childhood love of all. But as I grew older, Ronald McDoodoo was no longer my idol and I slowly gravitated to more gourmet burgers. Burgers are usually hit and miss for me,   it tends to take a great deal of effort for me to find a perfect burger place. I find myself constantly complaining about the bun being soggy, or the patty being over cooked, or the presentation to sloppy, even little details like the onions aren't sweet enough. 

Burgers are such classic goods, it takes a quite a bit of oomph for a burger to bring itself out of the ordinary into something spectacular.

Stackhouse burger was definitely something different. It was amazing!

We ordered

Ahi Tuna Burger - 5oz Ahi tuna steak with miso aioli, watercress and creamy avocado. TOpped with fried onions, served on a brioche bun

Stackhouse Burger - 6.5 oz local prime rib patty with pancetta, portabellini, Cuiness cheddar, chipotle aioli and butter lettuce served on a brioche bun.

Poutine - seasoned fries served with local bocconcini, topped with truggle demi-glace

All entrees and sliders are served side fries of side mesclun salad

AMBIANCE | Despite the grey area its located in (the edge of downtown), the decor of the diner is surprising. The main theme of the restaurant is a fresh, but quirky feeling. Featuring ceiling to floor glass windows, a large mirror filled with graffiti, a white wall filled with booze and small random decors, Stackhouse has a minimalism, but bohemian texture. It reminds me of very chic, young, urban American cafes that are not popular here in Vancouver. 

FOOD | $15-20 a burger with fries is like 5 times the price of a McDoodoo burger. Was it worth it? Absolutely. The Ahi Tuna Burger with avocado was an interesting combo. I've never had anything quite like it. Ahi Tuna and avocado are two of my favourite things. I even upgraded the fries to my favourite POUTINE! The meal was a super favourite for me! I could use a little more avocado, and a warmer bun... but the Ahi Tuna was cooked to prefection - ever so slightly raw. The Classic Stackhouse burger was the special of the day at $10! I made Mr. F choose the Salad to make me feel better about eating such heavy lunches, and I could not have been more pleased with the salad. The salad is a simple veggie and vinegar x olive oil mix, but it has a touch of edamame beans! Such a wonderful surprise!

I have recommended Stackhouse to many people and each time they come back to me as pleased as can be. Stackhouse in my opinion, masters the art of creating a unique spirit in simple, classic foods. I will be back!

1224 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2G6