Archive for category: Restaurants

Pho Lan :: Richmond Pho

Pho Lan :: Richmond Pho

Big day today folks: my very first Richmond restaurant review! If you get your last vote in for me today (before 4pm P.S.T) you may guarantee me a spot in the next round. Then, when I win, I’ll take you for a fun lunch, dinner or dim sum on Tourism Richmond!

Last week was a bit chilly and rainy in the lower mainland. The perfect weather for a steamy bowl of the quintessential Vietnamese beef noodle soup: Pho. (Technically pronounced “fuh”, but commonly referred to as “fo”).

Pho Lan


Pho Lan’s been feeding Richmond for about 18 years, and they are always busy. They are clearly doing something right. My husband actually told me about Pho Lan’s delicious pho years and years ago when he was a management consultant working in Richmond and lunching at Pho Lan quite regularly. It just took me until last week to get there!

Pho Lan is all about business. The menus, chilli oil, sriracha, oyster sauce, chopsticks, and spoons all live on the tables. Tea is served immediately upon your arrival. You wave a server over and order by number. You pay the cashier (cash only) on your way out the door.

But sometimes places are all about business for a reason. Here, that reason is because it is busy. And what really matters—the food—is fresh and delicious.

The Food

First up, tea! On a cold and rainy day, that first sip of steaming hot tea warms you from the inside.

We ordered one deep fried spring roll to share. When the hubs suggested this (ordering just one), I looked at him as if he was crazy. That is until the spring roll arrived: it was gigantic. And super hot. And delicious. 1 (huge) deep fried pork & shrimp spring roll sets you back only $2.50.

Then we got our pho. I ordered a small #13 (rare steak & well-done flank) ($6.50) and the husband a medium #7 (Pho Lan special: rare steak, well done flank, tendon, tripe and beef ball) ($7.50). Luckily for me, he shared his beef ball with me. Yummy! The accompanying lime, mint, and bean sprouts were super fresh, the soup was piping hot, the broth flavourful. I’ll be back. FYI – small is the bowl pictured, medicum is a regular sized bowl of pho, and large is gigantic (according to the hubs). Next time, I think I would order a small #10 (rare steak and beef ball, I didn’t love the flank).

The Bottom Line

Pho Lan, 6950 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC (at Granville Ave), open for lunch and dinner, cash only.

At $18.50 for two people Pho Lan was great value. Service was fine. Food was delicious (and fresh). I will certainly be back!

May 1, 2012 0 comments Read More
Thanks & One “Last” Plea

Thanks & One “Last” Plea


First of all, I want to thank every single person that I know for being so patient with me (and for all your voting). Facebook contests (especially of the daily voting variety) are awesome for brands, but not so awesome for the contestants or the friends and family and networks of the contestants.

For 7 days I’ve been eating and breathing facebook. I’ve spammed you all over (and over and over and over and over and over and over). I’ve spent more hours that I care to admit analyzing the votes. So has the hubs. And the friends we are staying with. And my mom and dad. And people who I didn’t even realize would root for me.

It’s been bizarre.

It’s been gut wrenching.

It has quite possibly been my 15 minutes of “fame”.

Luckily, there are only 31 hours left to vote. Depending on your voting time, that means you can get 1 or 2 more votes in for me!

I started out in the middle of the pack, spent a day or so in third, a day in fourth, and over the last couple of days have been relegated to a (comfortable) fifth. (But one more solid rally could get me back to fourth!)

A fourth or fifth place finish isn’t necessarily bad. Of the three people selected for the next round, one is the winner of the popular vote, and two will be selected through an interview. Do I think that means the votes don’t matter? No at all (if I did, I wouldn’t have been spamming you over and over and over and over and over and over). This is a social media job after all.

And quite honestly, my interview was awesome. So awesome that if I don’t get chosen it just means that they are looking for something else. It’s kind of a neat place to be. I’ve never had such a good interview. I’ve also never before interviewed for a job where they are either looking for me, or they aren’t.

Barring some kind of cataclysmic event in the next couple of days, I don’t think I’ll win the voting contest. But, I really, really want to end on that top row (i.e., at least fourth). So, please take a few seconds to vote for me in the next 31 hours (twice, if you can)! Tell your friends. Ask them to tell their friends. I want to come out of this voting process looking as strong and as well connected as I possibly can!

Still need convincing? Well, here’s why I told Tourism Richmond that I’m the best person for the job.

And once again: thank you. Also don’t forget to vote!

April 30, 2012 1 comment Read More
a flying pig :: yaletown

a flying pig :: yaletown

Yesterday was a very exciting day for me! Not only was it day one in the voting competition for the Richmond 365 Days of Dining competition (vote for me!) but, I finally met my lovely blogger friend Melissa of West Coast Nest, after almost a year of being super close on the internet. It actually felt like a internet date, which was kind of hilarious.

Melissa suggested that we try out A Flying Pig in Yaletown, since she’d heard great things but had never tried it out herself.

We refer to our restaurant as a “nouveau Canadian Bistro”… offering a simple, seasonally inspired menu with fresh, local ingredients at a great value. Our open concept kitchen brings the Chef to your table, delivering a memorable overall dining experience. (Source)

Since I’ve been away from the lower mainland for four years, I’m not super up to date on the food scene. Anyone I told this was where we were going had only good things to say.

A Flying Pig

We arrived shortly before 6:30 on a Tuesday night to a bustling restaurant, and it remained busy for the two hours we were there. The restaurant only takes reservations for lunch and brunch, but luckily two spots at the window bar were available upon our arrival. It was comfortable, and as a food blogger I love that natural window light!

Our servers were excellent, and the perfect amount of attentive, the vibe was fun, and then we got our food…

The Food

A Flying Pig had me from the bread. It was fresh out of the oven—soft and warm—and served with high quality EVOO and balsamic vinegar.

Melissa and I both ordered the beetroot and arugula salad (to the delight of both our servers), so we had very high expectations once it arrived. The salad featured yellow and red beets, whipped goat cheese, and an apple cider vinaigrette. It was amazing. The spicy arugula coupled perfectly with the other flavours, and on top of that, it was a generous serving of salad. Highly recommended.

For our mains Melissa ordered the seafood pappardelle (with mussels, salmon, prawns, halibut, in a spicy rose sauce), and I ordered the halibut with yukon gold potato gnocchi and corn nage. Melissa assures me her dish was delicious. But let us talk about the halibut. Moist. Flaky. Delicious. The corn nage was a perfect accompaniment, and the gnocchi was awesome. I loved my meal. And I ate the entire gigantic plate. Needless to say, we had no room for dessert!

Both servers told me that my meal (arugula + beet salad and the halibut) was their favourite paring on the menu, and while I’d like to go back and try other dishes… I might just have the same meal. It was delicious.

The Bottom Line

A Flying Pig; 1168 Hamilton Street, Yaletown; Vancouver, Monday to Friday, 11:30-midnight, Saturday and Sunday, 10:30-midnight.

At $106 before tip, this meal was an awesome value (two starters, two mains, and four glasses of wine). Go there. Get there early. Eat the halibut. You won’t regret it.

April 25, 2012 1 comment Read More
Hello Everybody!

Hello Everybody!

Good morning friends—both old and new—I’m so excited I could just about burst! If you are new here (and I have a sneaking suspicion that lots of you are today), welcome! If you are a regular, you might be wondering just what is going on… well, I have great news:

I made the top 12 in Tourism Richmond’s 365 Days of Dining contest!

WOOHOO!!!

Over 1,500 people applied for this position and I made the top 12. For my fellow math geeks, that’s 0.8% of applicants. Needless to say, I can’t really believe that this is happening. Cue happy dance and level of happiness approaching—or probably equal to—this.

Next Steps

Round two of the competition will whittle the top twelve down to the top three. One of the top three will be the public’s choice, and this is where I am going to need your help!

Starting tomorrow, I need you to mobilize everyone you know to vote for me. I promise, I will never, ever, ask you to vote for me on a facebook competition ever again! I may also bake you a cupcake. (Though… you may not really want me to do that.)

Voting will run from tomorrow, April 24, 2012 at 9 a.m. PST until May 1, 2012 at 4 p.m. PST on Tourism Richmond’s facebook page. I’ll update this post—and tomorrow’s post—with more details about the process when I learn them. In the meantime:

I MADE THE SHORT LIST!

A gigantic thanks to Tourism Richmond for this amazing opportunity.

April 23, 2012 1 comment Read More
Make It! + Food Trucks

Make It! + Food Trucks

Yesterday evening I stopped by Make It! Vancouver for some shopping and snacking. If you haven’t heard of Make It!, well, it’s not your grandma’s craft show.

The vibe at the show is funky, hip and modern very different from you traditional granny craft show!(not that there is anything wrong with that) Music is performed by up-and-coming local musicians and there are always tasty treats to be enjoyed. Make It is about appreciating creativity, connecting entrepreneurs, and giving conscious shoppers an alternative to the mall. (Source: Make It)

Make It! is awesome. The vendors are amazing: products range from jewellery to ceramics to clothing to food stuffs to art to accessories. Since we are in the midst of moving, I didn’t do too much buying, but I did to lots of business-card-getting and have some ceramics and art in mind! The vibe is super fun: the show was bustling when I went at around 6:30 Friday night, DJ’s are spinning, there is a bar—should you wish to indulge in a beverage—and vendors (and sponsor tables) are super friendly.

By the time I finished my shopping (there are 110+ vendors), I was hungry! Parked outside the show? Food trucks! I chose Taser Grilled Cheese (156 favourites on the Vancouver Food Truck App) and The Juice Caboose (24 favourites on the app).

I indulged in a $5 Special smoothie (mango, banana, hemp seeds, cardamom, and agave) and a So Gouda grilled cheese for $6 (gouda, havarti, caramelized apples, and bacon). I’ve never had cardamom in a smoothie before, and I think it is a bit of an acquired taste. However, by the end of my 16oz drink, I was loving it.

Unfortunately, the girl at Taser was run off her feet; she mentioned that last year she wasn’t super busy on Make It’s Friday night, so she was underprepared (not enough food and no assistant). My sandwich could have been a bit more melty, but that being said the ingredients were delicious, and it bet if you give her a try on a regular day, the sandwiches will be awesome. I was impressed with the size of my sandwich, it was huge!

Make It! runs today from 11-6 and tomorrow (Sunday) from 11-5 at the Croatian Cultural Centre at 3250 Commercial Drive (details), and I highly suggest stopping by and supporting local artisans (and local food trucks!)

April 21, 2012 2 comments Read More
Casa Saltshaker :: Puerta Cerrada

Casa Saltshaker :: Puerta Cerrada

When we learned that our friend Jenn was coming to visit for our last 10 days in BA, we decided a perfect way to celebrate would be by taking her to a closed door restaurant! Jenn’s very into food, so what better experience than this uniquely Buenos Aires phenomenon. One closed door that kept popping up on my radar was Casa Saltshaker: the closed door restaurant in home of food blogger Dan Perlman (aka Saltshaker).

Casa Saltshaker

Dan’s home—Casa Saltshaker—in Recoleta is beautiful. Dim lighting, low ceilings, bookshelves filled with books and a large number of wine bottles make it a lovely space. Dan opens his home to 10 people, three days a week, for a 5-course meal, making it much more like an intimate dinner party with interesting strangers than either Casa Mun or Cocina Sunae. (Casa Mun feels like a very large dinner party—three tables of ten—and Cocina Sunae is run like a restaurant.) Casa Saltshaker is actually a dinner party in Dan’s dining room, which is what we expected a closed door restaurant to feel like, so he gets bonus points for that!

The demographic at Casa Saltshaker was very different than that at Casa Mun. Each guest at Casa Saltshaker was a traveller or a short-term expat. It was also an older demographic. That being said, I’ve come to realize that the kinds of people that end up at closed door restaurants are very interesting. And I loved the older demographic—so many interesting stories.

Dan himself is an excellent host, he explains each dish and wine pairing in the perfect amount of detail, and he is happy to share interesting stories about life in Argentina.

The Food


Unfortunately, I found food at Casa Saltshaker a bit disappointing.

  1. Stuffed peppers with potatoes, pancetta and shallots. The flavours in the first dish were quite tasty, and I enjoyed the sparkling wine pairing (Schroeder Rose de los Vientos).
  2. Tomato soup with white eggplant and chickpeas. The flavours in the soup were … good. But that’s it. Just good. There was not a lot of depth to this soup. It was paired with a Graffinga Pinto Grigio Reserva. A nice, if simple, white.
  3. Semolina gnocchi with mushrooms. This dish that quite tasty, restaurant quality, in fact—the homemade gnocchi was delicious, the mushrooms were a taste for lonely tastebuds (there aren’t mushrooms in Argentine cuisine) and it was paired with a tasty Syrah Rose from Las Moras.
  4. Lamb and pork terrine, with a cauliflower puree. While I loved the delicious puree [ed. Jenn's favourite component, all night], I found that the terrine lacked depth and was a bit too dry. Once again, it was just good. This dish was paired with my favourite wine of the night, a 2009 Don David Syrah.
  5. Oreo’s centenary. The dessert (an alfajor-like concoction of two chocolate cakes(?) cookies(?) with a vanilla fudge inside and roasted strawberries) was intended to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the oreo. My mom told me if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. So I’ll leave it at that. The dessert wine, on the other hand, was one of very few dessert wines I actually enjoy. It was a 2009 Late Harvest San Felipe.

The Bottom Line

Casa Saltshaker, three days a week, by reservation only, cash or paypal. 5 course dinner with wine pairings, 230 pesos (55 USD).

Whether or not I would recommend Casa Saltshaker would really depend on who I was recommending it to. A foodie? No. Someone less interested in food, but wanting a unique (and fun!) experience with good wine, a dinner, and the chance to meet some very interesting people? Probably. But if you only had one opportunity to go to a closed door restaurant, I’d hit up Casa Mun.

April 9, 2012 0 comments Read More