Wildebeest totally made up for their “Budweiser incident” (background info here and here from late May 2016) by putting on this great Brassneck vs Four Winds beer pairing dinner — a Southern-style menu by Chef Alessandro Vianello paired with beers from arguably the best two breweries in BC! Five courses and 10 beers for a very reasonable $69 (plus tax and 18% gratuity). There are actually a lot of these kinds of beer-pairing dinners going on if you know where to look, but I usually pass on them because I’d end up poor! But this one I couldn’t refuse.
I didn’t take any notes, so my writeup isn’t as detailed as usual. I was more into just enjoying the food, beer, and company that night. Actually, I’m lying. I took two little notes, which I’ll bury in this post.
I reviewed the original Richmond location of John 3:16 back in November 2014 (review here) but that location was torn down to make way for a new huge development. Their replacement Richmond location around the corner on No. 3 Road is coming “soon”, but in the meantime they opened their North Vancouver location back in April 2016.
Straight up, I’ll admit that Miku isn’t my first choice for dining. I’ve always felt slightly uncomfortable dining in such a amazingcy, rich, beautiful restaurant where the Asian 1% dine, but it was a special occasion and we booked the private room, and dammit we had a really good time. The food ranged from good to amazing, and the service was prompt and accomodating. They even have a Strange Fellows beer on tap!
Can you believe The Lion’s Den Cafe has been open for 16 years? It’s a neighborhood institution and one that (even for me) gets a bit forgotten about when it comes to places in Vancouver to get Caribbean food. It’s been years since I got food from here but it’s totally going back into my rotation 🙂
You know I go on and on and on and on and on about how good Longtail Kitchen in New West is. They just won a VanMag silver award for Best Thai! Anyways, they’re going to be featured on the Food Network Canada show “You Gotta Eat Here!” (Season 4 Episode 15 — airs May 8) and we were invited to the taping last November.
When I wasn’t being all nervous with sweaty pits, I snuck a few pics…
Disclaimer: We were invited to this taping as longtime (heh) customers of Longtail. We didn’t have to pay for any of our food, but then we didn’t get to choose what food we got. And I didn’t get to drink any beer cuz the kegerator wasn’t operating that day 🙁 We have no connection to Longtail other than being regulars and on friendly terms with the chef and staff. We were not paid for participating nor were we coached or told what to say. If this is the extent of me “selling out” as a food blogger, I’m happy with it.
Wicca and I sometimes differ on restaurants. Some I like more than she does (Alibi Room), and of course she has her own preferences and favourites. One place we BOTH agree on is Longtail Kitchen with their punchy, powerful Thai flavours in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We find it quite easy to make the effort to drive out to New West, even though everyone we talk to groans about how far it is.
Longtail put on a special Valentine’s Day menu for $55 per person, so we went and here’s what happened!
It’s been way too long since my last dirty burger from Upstairs at Campagnolo. The dark, cozy, friendly, casual vibe is perfect for a dirty ‘n delicious date night with Wicca.
Note about the photos: it’s super-dark in there. I tried to do the best I could with the photos! Hope it still gives you a good sense of the food.
Uchida in Victoria (next to the Bug Zoo and Miniature World) is my idea of what a humble eatery in a small Japanese town would be like: cooking up homestyle food using local ingredients, prepared simply with minimum fuss, and gentle seasoning that lets the ingredients speak for themselves. I’m not in Victoria very often (even less now that my sister moved back to the mainland) but I always try to eat at this lunch-only spot because I think it offers something that not even Vancouver has.
Continue reading Local + Organic meets Homestyle Japanese at Uchida in Victoria BC→
Zakkushi is the kind of place where you have to check your cheapness at the door and order with decadent abandon. Dining in Vancouver is getting really expensive, with $28 entrees becoming the norm. If you’re gonna pay that kind of money dining out, I’d kinda rather spend that money at a really fun place like Zakkushi where you can get a variety of meats on sticks, and get showered with Japanese liquor.
Sushi by Yuji on Kingsway near Nanaimo (not to be confused with Yuji’s From Japan on Alma & 4th, where La Ghianda used to be) has been open since Spring 2013. The chef/owner used to work at Shiro on Cambie in their heyday, and I’m glad to see Sushi by Yuji still in business after more than a year. This is one of just a few places that I’d consider eating sushi at in the eastside, along with Shima-ya on Victoria Drive.
