Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

No big foodie outing this weekend, sadly, as I'm saving up to catch up with a bunch of friends parachuting in during the holiday season. I did, however, get out for a casual dinner at Moderne Burger . Dinner was at 6pm, and already the place was pretty full. Shortly after, there was a horde waiting at the counter, though tonight's downpour may have had something to do with it. Things settled down a bit shortly after, but when we left close to 7pm, the diner was still nicely full. The decor is very bright and has a light art deco feel plus a touch of tiki bar with their palm trees. Overall, a very nice change compared to so many restaurants that like to dim the lights so much so that some of my foodie friends have to pull out their cellphones for extra light to read the menu. There's a buzz of conversation that can, occasionally, make you have to lean in closer to your dining companion to make out what they're saying. Moderne Burger's steak patty uses "real

I'd been to The Fish Shack not long ago , but went again as part of the Food Bloggers dining group just this past Saturday because I actually did NOT get their regular fish and chips last time. (I know, right? Like, "What?!") Anyway, here's how our outing turned out... New England Clam Chowder in mini sour dough bun ($0 - free amuse-bouche) ( picture ) Oh my gawd this was so tasty. It's got a big spicy kick to it too, but nothing really lingering. It's also the biggest amuse bouche I've ever been given, sized slightly bigger than a tennis ball! Amazing what you get for free nowadays. Fish Bites ($8.50) - with chipotle tartar sauce ( picture ) Mixed fish (not "mystery fish") bits from their fish and chips lineup. Each piece is about or slightly smaller than a tater tot. For $8.50, it's sort of okay (comparing it with the price of everything else in The Fish Shack) since it sort of adds up to a single piece of fish in a fish and chip

This past weekend's eats took us to the weird little restaurant, Gurkha Himalayan Kitchen on Friday night. If you're not looking for it, you may very well miss it because it doesn't have a storefront per se. Instead, it looks like a house next to a parking lot. At the porch, there are little prayer wheels. Inside, the decor bits are reminiscent of various cultures and curious to see. I had asked for a set menu for our dining group, and basically left it up to the restaurant. They came back with a $27 dinner that was to include 3 types of appetizers, 2 meat dishes, 1 vegetarian dish, 1 "daal type item", a Nepalese style rice pudding for dessert, and chai tea. What we got was still $27, but very different. Somehow there was a communication breakdown and they weren't sure we were coming, and the servers had no clue about the set menu. Eventually things got straightened out, but our meal was mostly appetizers, a thali with our "main course", and a wh

Somewhere along the way I got hooked on afternoon tea, and I suppose it's only natural I ended up at probably one of the most well-known afternoon tea venues, The Secret Garden . On the Saturday afternoon for our 2:15pm seating, every seat was full. Definitely get a reservation. Ambiance is lacking, sadly, although in part it is because the place was buzzing not just with conversations of the other diners, but also the traffic jam at the counter in the back half of the room. The room is very bright, and decor feels like a too-airy rustic tea house. Not a calming, elegant, tea experience sadly (for that, try Pâtisserie Für Elise ). The items on the tea service change (they have recently switched to a December menu, as well as rolled out a Christmas menu), so the next time you go, what I mention here will probably not be anywhere to be seen. Individual pieces were generally good, and there is evidence of attention and care to presentation, such as with the white bread cream chee

It is a sister restaurant to Miku  and despite the storefront, actually contains a deep and expansive dining area. Plus there's a bar with two televisions, which allows it to double as a sports bar (well, sort of). According to my friend who drives, it is also much more affordable for drivers, as you can park more cheaply and conveniently along Pacific than around the Guiness Building. The menu idea is the same, however: Aburi sushi (i.e., blowtorched sushi). Professionally all-black dressed servers here, with a mix of males and female. No mini-skirted hotties, if you were hoping for that sort of Yaletown establishment (try Chinois  for eye candy instead). Aburi Carpaccio ($16)  organic 64° egg, asian pear, market greens, lotus root chips, jalapeño-garlic ponzu Mush the egg over the beef. This is an interesting item if you don't separate the items on the plate, but pair each bite. There are interesting flavours here: The jalapeño gives the beef a bit of bite, but not t

After the popular  Cannery  restaurant closed, it essentially resurfaced as (Eddy's) Pink Peppercorn Seafood House  ( pictures ) in a less glamorous neighbourhood, bringing with it favourite menu items such as the Salmon Wellington, and also a touch of pink peppercorn to every plate. If you chance to meet the chef, Eddy, he may tell you the story behind it: It is in memory and honour of his culinary mentor who, sadly, is paralysed on one side. Decor is fishing-boat trappings plus a few almost cheese items, such as a plastic swordfish and a strange boiled-orange half-prawn half-lobster as you walk in, which nevertheless can be a fun photo op. Portions are generous: For example, the Salmon Wellington comes in two huge halves, and could easily weigh in as two whole entrees. Bring a friend and order cautiously, especially if you are interested in having an appetizer or dessert. Plating is rather unimaginative, with many of the fish items being different slabs of fish on other

Soirette is a very small store on West Pender, with very few seats (and a couple of outdoor tables) -- their popular "High Tea" can really only seat 8 persons around four tables inside. The counter features very few items, mostly a wide selection of macarons and a few creamy cakes. The macarons themselves have a bit of extra effort to them with the addition of a bit of decoration on top, whereas many places simply just leave them monotone. The various creative uses of macarons in the store displays are also worth a look as well. ( pictures ) In addition to macarons, they also have a selection of interesting teas if your palate is fine enough to appreciate the differences. Not the same huge selection as, for example, at Shaktea or The Urban Tea Merchant , but at least you do get a decent selection to go with the afternoon tea service. The afternoon tea seating is more or less 60 to 90 minutes, which can be very tight if your group is 6+ and you're all distracted

I hardly ever get out to Steveston so I really didn't know any good places there. Our day trip group was guided by a local and we were ultimately steered to Sockeye City Grill  on the waterfront. For some reason, no one mentioned Pajo's . Heck, even I forgot to look it up. After "just fish and chips" at The Fish Shack the night before, I ended up choosing something other than fish and chips. Dungeness Crab and Tiger Prawn Cannelloni ($19)  fresh pasta filled with dungeness crab. ricotta cheese and spinach, savoury rose sauce. jumbo tiger prawns, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil. parmesan cheese and garlic toast Lots of sauce, not a lot of actual cannelloni. However, the crab flavour came through past the ricotta cheese filling. The "jumbo" part of the tiger prawns seemed to be missing. There was, however, an OK amount of prawn. Pretty tasty sauce. Overall, this was a light lunch and quite tasty and a safe choice to order at this restaurant. Could defi

The Fish Shack is another restaurant by the Glowbal Collection , who have other lovely restaurants like Black + Blue and Italian Kitchen. It replaces the rather interesting menu of Sanafir with a lineup of fish and chips and shellfish, and I'm actually rather sad about that. Also, with various other classy restaurants to its name, I really struggled with my expectations for The Fish Shack. Would it be jazzed up fish and chips? Is that even possible? Fortunately, I was dining with someone who gently reminded me that fish and chips is fish and chips, and location, ambiance, and decor all have a cost that trickles down to the customer. She also thought the prices quite reasonable/cheap, hence the late 20's / early 30's crowd. Our very light dinner for two including one glass of wine and one non-alcoholic beverage came to $33.99 after tip but before tax. I can't say I really like the decor much. Using pallets for the walls... Hmm... Also, restaurants really, really,