Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

If you've read my various reviews you'll know I'm foremost a food reviewer. And Personas is basically a sports bar. So many caveats with this one I really thought of just passing on reviewing, but at the same time I also felt a caution about the food would be useful for anyone walking in. So... on to the disclaimers! This was part of a Yelp Elite event . Nothing lavish, but nonetheless we did get basically free food and free stuff. You can see what we got in the pictures. Foodwise we got plates for each table of 4-6 persons to share. It's basically a sports bar. I don't watch sports and a bar doesn't make me want to watch sports either. There's a bar. We even got free wine and a fancy to-share drink as part of the event. But I don't drink. So this is me trying to first review the place for what I feel it primarily is: A sports bar. As a sports bar, if I had to be dragged to one, this would be the type I'd like to go to. It doesn't have...

My friend was all excited by the under-$10 weekend brunch and dragged me here. She was immediately disappointed by the rather small menu, but did manage to find something that she ended up liking (Avocado Benny). I, however, apparently picked the one thing you shouldn't get here. Fried Egg Sandwich ($13.75, or $9.75 during weekend brunch if you order before Noon; cheddar cheese costs extra) smoked bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, mayo, red relish, brioche bun, smashed potatoes Looks like a pretty tall burger till you look inside and realize it's fluffed up by lettuce. Worse, the mass of lettuce and other slippery ingredients can make this a mess to eat, squishing out juices everywhere. I recommend you try to flatten down the lettuce by flattening down the sandwich. Basically a rip off even at $9.75 for what you actually get. Think about it: An egg is something you add to a burger for +$1, at Red Robin for example. Order something else. Fever Tree Ginger Beer ($4) ...

Casual walk-in to Chancho Tortilleria tonight to catch up with a friend. If it looks like it's got a line-up, don't be daunted -- go in and see if there's actually a wait for seating or if it's just the lineup to place your order at the counter. This is diner-style: Place your order, find a table. There are napkins at the table but if you're sharing with friends you probably want to look for a plate and fork as well. Guacamole ($9) Appys are always more expensive than mains, so you can't expect that much for price for portion. This was okay-tasting. At $9 I'd pass if I went again. Vegetarian Tortillas ($18 for half pound) - Mixed Potatoes and Vegetables. All orders include condiments: Pickled red cabbage, whole pinto beans, salsas, freshly made Chancho tortillas, and limes. The best part here is price for portion, especially if you are in a group of 3-4 people and order one pound. 1/4 pound is recommended as being enough for one person. We go...

Yelp's making me work really hard this month, with yet another Yelp Elite Event . This time at ATLAS Steak + Fish at the Grand Villa Casino for a weekday lunch. Atlas is open for lunch now and they're introducing it to us obviously to get the word out. Restaurants in hotels often have a rough go and you see renos and a new name in the same spot every few years. However Atlas has apparently already made a name for themselves, and some of our members attested to having had excellent company functions and catered events through them. DISCLAIMER: We got free stuff. Not just a sample of their lunch but a gift pack of two steak knives and a 30%-off-lunch coupon. That said, if we come back to use the coupon (maximum party size of six) I'm sure they'll have made back their investment easily. And the steak knives look like the same ones diners use, so they are probably replacement stock they have on hand anyway. Décor is not super-wow but for lunch it was bright, airy...

Squeezed into this tiny space for a get-together with friends. They did accept a reservation, but get really anxious if your party does arrive on time and they clearly have people waiting to dine-in. It's a really small space so every customer is precious. TIP: Don't be late! And expect to be asked if it'll be okay if they take away seats if not enough of your party shows up on time. Rather interesting that they've dropped baby corn as an ingredient. Roti with curry sauces ($4.99) It's a Thai restaurant offering a Malaysian/Singaporean staple. That's ominous to begin with but I'm a sucker for roti so of course I had to order it. The roti looks like it got fried into a crunchy crisp here and cut too large (plus it's now too stiff) to properly fit into the little cup of coconut flavoured curry. You're ordering roti in a Thai restaurant, so be prepared for something different. If you need your roti to be close to the Malaysian or Singapor...

Dropped in after a post-dinner walk from Unchai to have a snack and dessert. We whiled away a half hour savouring a dessert before trying the calamari at the Happy Hour price. As usual the server wasn't exactly thrilled especially as we didn't order any alcohol (none of us being drinkers). But the place wasn't exactly packed either. Calamari ($14 or $10 during Happy Hour) We were informed the $10 happy hour portion is the same as the $14 regular menu portion. Not recommended even at $10. Seemed flat somehow. Lacked seasoning? And price for portion at $10. If you do get it, try to pair each piece with the fried jalapeño slices to get some bite to each bite. Billy Miner Pie ($7) mocha ice cream on a chocolate crust with hot fudge, caramel, and almonds Simple idea that's tasty. Ice cream is soft and easy to spoon through but doesn't start melting into a puddle right away. Still, if you're going to try more than one dessert I wouldn't ask for th...

Riz Sushi hosted a Yelp Elite event and I was lucky to be selected -- it's a small space and not a lot of room to jam a lot of people in. So obviously I should start with a disclaimer: We got free stuff. A wide sampling of their current menu, as well as their crunchy fried chicken breast burger which should launch very soon. If you've been to the place years past and hated it, Riz Sushi is definitely worth another visit. They've been under new management for the last three years or so. It wasn't an immediate turnaround with this new management, either. They quickly decided to focus on catering and chopped down their restaurant menu to Poke bowls. But now they have a strong menu and are basically re-launching their restaurant -- and fighting an uphill battle against the baggage of low reviews that the restaurant is carrying from its earlier days. Our food samples did NOT have a single sushi roll in sight! If you're looking for a sushi-ingredient-themed re...