Sandra "middle child" G.'s Profile

I've passed by The Cascade Room quite a bit and have never been able to see inside because of the dimly lit interior. My friend celebrated her birthday there last night and I finally got a chance to check out the place for dinner.

The Cascade Room isn't very big but it has a great lounge-y atmosphere, a full bar, and some wicked interior decor. 1/2 of the menu is their beer and wine list, and my boyfriend got to sample quite a few of their IPAs. There were also 2 other birthdays going on that Saturday night, so apparently it's a favourite for Main Street hipsters.

They had a World Cup special going on with different cocktail shots each representing participating countries, that came with a factoid card, so that was a good addition to the birthday celebration. I  was debating between the Mushroom pizza ($14) and Vegetable Curry and went for the pizza upon my friend's recommendation. Didn't disappoint - the pesto and edam/goat's cheese combo was so good, and some spinach never hurts either.

My boyfriend enjoyed the Pemberton Meadows Natural Beef Burger ($14) patty but said it could use more sauce. The big hit was the polenta fries & curried mayo dip ($6) though, which are so thick and crispy yet mashed on the inside. We spent a few minutes discussing how they would be able to make that combo.

The waitress serving our table had an awesome memory and gave us some great drink recommendations, even though she accidentally added someone else's drinks to our tab.

Definitely worth a try for a great time with good food, drinks, and  friends.

I told my boyfriend I'd treat him for dinner and he loves Caribbean style food and neither of us had been to Havana so it was fate that we would go on a sunny Sunday. The popular patio had a waiting list, so we opted for a table inside.

The atmosphere of Havana is super casual. The bar and kitchen are visible, and the walls have cool carved-message decor. There weren't many vegetarian options (we wanted the two-serving yam fry poutine with vegetable mushroom gravy, but they cut it out of the menu) but my Drive Burger (veggie) and yam fries were some of the better veggie burgers I've had, and my boyfriend said the beer-batter fish 'n chips actually tasted like beer. The burger was packed with pea shoots (like sprouts, but not gross), avocado, and green chili mojo with red onions and tomatoes. Tummy like veggies.

We weren't really in the Cuban cocktail mood, but everyone else seemed to be, ordering the pitchers of sangria and Strawberry-Mojito for $25. Seems like a pretty good deal.

Although I couldn't see on the menu what the dessert choices were, the table sign said that they donate $1 to the Vancouver Fringe Festival for every dessert ordered until September, in support of organizations that have gotten arts funding cuts. Nice philanthropic touch.

Can't really comment on the authenticity of the food since we didn't order any traditional dishes, but for a sunny dinner on the Drive, Havana pretty much lived up to its reputation.

La Belle Patate offers three main categories of food: Traditional poutines, Specialty poutines, and Smokies. My boyfriend and I were both perusing the traditional selection, and he opted for a medium traditional (the typical cheese, gravy, and fries) while I dared to be different and got a small smoked meat poutine. Yes, I am a vegetarian, but I only eat meat on special occasions (it was our 3-year anniversary), and I really had to see if this smoked meat was really from Montreal.

A bit about the place. LBP has some big windows, which will be very nice in summer. I peeked in as we looked for parking, and it initially looked like a fast food joint. But inside, they have very nice tables and booths. The order counter is almost like a bar; they are licensed, which Leo always appreciates.  The owner is super friendly, and the service is quite fast. So, all in all, a nice family restaurant vibe with the service of a fast-food joint.

And now, for the food. The first thing I noticed was how big the cheese chunks are. In taste and size, I was reminded of my elementary cheese string days when sometimes I wasn't patient enough to pull a string from the cheese stick, just took a bite off the top, and chewed that baby.

Leo dug in right away as he always does, and being the lady I am, I tried the gravy-covered smoked meat chunks while waiting for the cheese to melt. Now, the smoked meat was also in chunks. Very different from the thinly sliced meat I am used to eating with sandwiches in Montreal diners. It wasn't bad, just a bit on the salty side, probably because of the gravy.

After a few bites of fries, I realized this cheese wasn't going to melt. Very unlike Fritz European Fry House's poutines. So I guess that's what makes it different from the usual poutines I am used to - you eat it all in chunks like a meal, not a snack.

My favourite part of the poutine was the gravy. Definitely better than Fritz's, but I wasn't wowed by the fries, cheese, or smoked meat. However, the specialty poutines may be worth a try in future -- they have some very interesting sounding combos with pepperoni-mushroom-bacon, or breakfast poutines with eggs-bacon-onions. A great place to go to for those weird poutine cravings... but not the late night post-clubbing ones. I'm quite sure they're only open during regular hours.

Over a month prior to my birthday, I started thinking about how I wanted to celebrate. I'm a new vegetarian, but I've kept a tradition of eating meat on special occasions, so I knew I wanted to eat meat somewhere special. Vij's takes no reservations for anyone. Whether you're a celebrity or a family member, you eat in sequential order just like everyone else. So be warned!

This week's Georgia Straight newspaper had its annual Golden Plate issue where they highlight readers' choices in favourite restaurants. And it was a sign that Vij's made the top of the list for Indian food.

My boyfriend and I put our names on the waiting list - it was about an hour and a half wait. We passed the time with some drinks (I had a tasty Indian mojito) and warm snacks that owner Vikram Vij himself and his staff set out for the 40 or so people in the waiting lounge: fries, fried pita chips and fried lentil balls (for lack of the proper name). My tongue was having tastegasms at the lentil balls alone.

We ordered the Yam, paneer and cabbage kofta (fried) in pureed lentil curry for an appetizer ($12.50), and two Punjabi Heart Attack! spoons ($3.50 each).  We also got naan bread, which is good for scooping up leftover sauce, as well as chili peppers and chutney to go with each dish to adjust taste.

The Punjabi Heart Attack spoons are spicy cashews, raw sugar, paneer, and ghee, and I was afraid that they would be quite spicy because of the name. The waitress also explained that the quinoa salad with lemon dressing was a 'chaser' for the spoons. After one bite, it wasn't spicy at all - more sweet than anything. More tastegasms followed. The quinoa salad was light and refreshing, a perfect balance to the crispy sugar and cashews.

For my entree, I ordered the Wine marinated lamb popsicles in fenugreek cream curry, with turmeric spinach potatoes ($26.50), and my boyfriend got the Beef tenderloin (rare) with almonds and garlic in tomato and yogurt curry ($27). The entrees took a bit longer than the appetizers, but it was good that we ordered appies to prepare our hungry stomachs for what was to come.

Vikram Vij is the ultimate host; he visits each table to thank customers for waiting, and to make sure all the dishes are satisfying. It was great to meet him, which made the wait worth it even more. When our entrees finally came, so did more rice and naan, and we got to sample each other's dishes. That's the best part of Vij's - all dishes are good for sharing, and you don't need to order extra rice or naan to offset the saucy meals. The lamb was so tender, and the sauce and potatoes heavenly. I'm not a huge fan of the texture of beef, so I was glad I didn't order it when I was contemplating ordering the tenderloin. The tomato and yogurt sauce was heavenly as well though.

Surprisingly, I finished everything on my plate, and Leo was the one who went home with leftovers. In sum, Vij's is the place to go for a 'Last Supper,' whether or not you're a fan of Indian food. It's been a long time since I've been to a restaurant where everything - including the service - has been top notch. It's no surprise that Vij's is rated #1 on restaurant choice lists year after year.

This past January, my friend recommended I check out Ocean: West Coast Japanese Bistro in South Granville because her friend just opened it, and she was going to have her birthday party there. Plans changed, and we didn't get to celebrate there, but I kept the business card because it looked cool (with a title like "West Coast Japanese Bistro" who could resist) and I'm always down to check out new places.

My boyfriend and I decided to have a date night out, and drove down to the area. The place is clean, booth-less and not really what I expected; it looked more like a casual cafe. However, the big bar and over-sized photos of downtown Tokyo give it an izakaya feel, which - as they say in their menu - is what they were going for.

Ocean prides itself on its tapas. Appetizers range from $4-9 and entrees aren't much more. The sake selections were probably the most expensive items. Although the place wasn't busy for a Saturday night, I could see it getting busy if more people knew about it.

Food: The Okonomiyaki ("Japanese pizza") I ordered didn't have as much filling as I'm used to - definitely more doughy, and they skimp out a little bit on the sauce. For those who haven't tried this dish, it's more like a Japanese pancake than a pizza - definitely not crusty.

But both that dish and the "Flammable" roll my boyfriend ordered both had some decorative mustard, which I guess is what made them 'west coast.' The agedashi tofu and vegetable tempura were pretty standard, and my boyfriend had no complaints about his food either. I asked for a 2 oz. ume (umeshu = plum wine) + 7up - my standard drink of choice at izakayas - and I was surprised to see that it came premixed. It was a little too sweet for my taste, so now I know to get only the 1 oz.

Ocean gets 5 stars in presentation and service, but overall nothing extravagant. Most of the food selection is seafood and meat, so unfortunately I couldn't sample much else. Nice, casual, quiet atmosphere, definitely worth a try if you want to escape the busy izakaya scene in downtown.

I'm surprised I'm the first one writing a review on this place because I heard so much hype about it on Twitter when it first opened.

I went there after work for drinks and dinner with my sister and it was ladies night (Thursdays) which means they have a special Pink Martini for $3.50 and a FREE small plate for ladies. Mos Def was performing a concert that night and apparently he left just before we walked in. Darn!!

My sis and I got the martinis and the Ravioli and Calamari for our small plates. Both excellent appies. Oh, by the way Circa is BIG and has great decor and ambiance. We liked the lighting how it was before they turned it down, but other than that I have no beef about the place. Hostess and serving staff are super nice too. For dinner we shared a set price meal for $38, and you can choose an appy (greek salad), main (ahi tuna steak) and dessert (apple caramel brioche). Everything was excellent. The salad was buried beneath a whipped foam dressing, but it tasted like there was nothing on it.

The meal was filling but not too filling, and was well worth the value (bonus for the ladies night) -- three course meal for the price of 4 small plates! I will definitely be taking my boyfriend back.

I also hear that they throw great events (with a space like that how can you resist) so check it out!

My boyfriend and I have driven by Mr. Pickwick's Fish & Chips many times from Richmond to Vancouver, in the Marpole area on Granville. Last Friday we finally decided to stop by for dinner. Even though we ordered at 8:40 and they closed at 9pm, they allowed us to stay past closing time to finish so that we could have a good experience and didn't have to take out the food.

I ordered a 2-piece cod (Friday special) and asked for yam fries instead of regular fries and both were SO good... the yam fries came with an especially yummy honey dijon dip that reminded me of the sauce you can get at Fritz's poutine house.

My boyfriend decided to sample everything from the halibut to coleslaw and popcorn shrimp. Needless to say he wasn't able to finish it all.

Gladstone's is the only sit-down restaurant to eat at LAX so my boyfriend and I didn't have much choice in eating somewhere we could wait until our flight took off. The food was good, not outstanding, and the service was good too. My Coke was a bit too watered down, and I felt that the price of the fish & chips and other dishes was a bit high ($18+ USD) for the quality of food, but my boyfriend really like the Jamaican Jerk Salmon. Not a bad place to eat, but LAX definitely needs a bit more variety. They could also use a good restaurant in the arrivals area.

My boyfriend and I are from Vancouver, Canada and went to Mimi's Cafe with my aunt and uncle who live in Canoga Park. On the outside Mimi's looks like a regular family restaurant, but the food is surprisingly very gourmet, quality that you would see in a high-end restaurant. My boyfriend said the fish and chips were the best he's ever had. Bonus that they also serve beer. Our waitress was friendly and quick and took care of us the whole way through.

This was my second time at this Roscoe's location. It was busy but my boyfriend and I still got a seat right away. We were served by a sweet old lady and the service was fast, even though my boyfriend asked for grits and got collared greens instead. The chicken and waffle servings are so big that we packed up the rest and ate it for lunch the next day. The southern mix is SO good and my boyfriend couldn't believe how juicy at thick the meat was. Corn bread is a bit dry on the outside but is still so tasty with the butter - that never melts! Thanks Roscoe's for another great meal and experience!