Lunch Munch - THE BOATHOUSE - PORT MOODY VANCOUVER

There's nothing better than having a wild Saturday night and going to brunch on a sunny Sunday morning. I love eggs Benny!

The Boathouse never fails to keep me going back. I've been to the Kits Beach and Downtown venues numerous times for both lunch and dinner, but this time it was my first going to Port Moody for brunch. I love how each restaurant is facing the water, the Boathouse concept is too delightful!

Mr. F ordered - Lobster Grilled Cheese Benny - golden grilled cheese with chunks of lobster meat, topped with poached eggs, fresh hollandaise & a drizzle of basil oil

I ordered - Prime Rib Hash - Kennebec potatoes, onions, red pepper, edamame, red wine demi, topped with two poached eggs & fresh hollandaise. Served toasted olive bread.
Menu found here

AMBIANCE | As with all The Boathouse restaurants, you really cannot go wrong with the ambiance - eating Seafood in front of the sea (or lake). Pictures say a million words, there are 4 posted. It's really quite the expected beauty.

    

FOOD | My Prime Rib Hash was really just a normal stir fry of all the ingredients mixed equally. I loved the cheese curds and prime rib with a slight Asian blend of edamame and sauteed onions. Lobster grilled cheese was also a pleasant - thick chunks of lobster squashed in between rich, thick cheese. The eggs Benedict were slow cooked to a firm egg white and gooey oozy egg yolk. Absolutely GOLDEN! Both dishes had neither difficulty and nor elaboration, but it tasted amazing.

Overall, The Boathouse was never meant to be "fine dining", but its always as nice casual place for simple, good food.

2770 Esplanade Ave
Port Moody, BC(604) 931-5300

Soul Scent - ARCHAEOLOGY FREESIA CANDLE

How many of you out there are candle lovers? Scent lovers?

I've been in love with candles.... pretty much since Bath & Body Works opened up in Vancouver's Pacific Centre. I was never really a scent person back then, but after walking into that HappyLand shop, I had some strange epiphany.
omg I want my room to smell like this everyday, every time I walk through my own bedroom door

...yummieee

I recently purchased this Archaeology Freesia Soy Candle. Soy candles are made from hydrogenated soybean oil as opposed to the traditional beeswax. Soybean oil is not only renewable (as opposed to petroleum, think eco-Happy Planet) but these candles are also supposed to burn 50% longer than average candles. This baby markets to be a "60 Hour" candle, I hope it lives up to its name. 

I am so happy with this purchase, the scent is amazing. I

 wish the scent dispersed a little more strongly, but nonetheless,

the scent is sweet, subtle and sexy. (Alliteration, my friends).

Purchased from Nordstrom, Downtown Seattle.

Dine Fine - JAPONESSA: SUSHI COCINA - DOWNTOWN SEATTLE

I went on a mini three day trip with Mr. F to Bellevue and Seattle, taking time off and enjoying the sun. Downtown Seattle has a wide selection of food and somehow I really wanted contemporary Japanese sushi. Thanks to beloved Google, I chose Japonessa in downtown Seattle after reading from a fellow reviewer that the "eggplant mochi was absolutely amazing".
With stroke of luck, Japonessa was having their anniversary that day, so they extended their "happy hour" menu till closing. But as it turns out, the eggplant mochi wasn't exactly "absolutely amazing".

We ordered:

Sashimi Set (Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Albacore, Shrimp)

Agedashi Tofu

Garlic Short Ribs

Signature Roll: California Crunch

(Snow crab mix, avocado, cream cheese, tempura’d, sweet chili allioli, soy glaze)

Eggplant & Mochi (fried with nameko mushrooms, bonito soy)

Plum wine

Menu found here: http://www.japonessa.com/menu.pdf

Please excuse the poor iPhone quality of these pictures :(

AMBIANCE |  Decorated with Anna Sui inspired Victorian mirrors, black retro chandeliers, black tables and booths mixed with accents of red and white, Japonessa is soo sexy inside. It is the perfect mid scale urban restaurant for a simple dinner before heading over to the bar and club next door. The dimly lit room and lively edgy tones really sets up a nice night out. Oh, there is complimentary wi-fi, thats a plus!

FOOD | The food lacked spirit. In all honesty, for its reviews, I had such high hopes for fine sushi, only to be disappointed with mediocre quality. The Eggplant mochi, garlic short ribs and California crunch were the top 3 recommended items on UrbanSpoon. But.... the original crispy and golden agedashi tofu was soaked in too much sauce, soggy and salty. The California Crunch was poorly thrown together with large chunks of rice, rather far from the mouth-watering elaborate detail written on the menu. Sashimi set, short ribs, eggplant & mochi were all very average dishes simply decorated on a white dish with a flower on the side. For me, the most disappointing is that everything was at room temperature. The garlic BBQ ribs were far from warm and the sashimi were far from cool, nothing tasted horrible, but the quality of a $15 sushi roll was... well, sub par.

Benefit of the doubt, it was Japonessa's anniversary day, perhaps they were busy. Given that "happy hour" menu items are supposed to be small finger foods, the dishes lacked intricacy. We ordered from the main menu as well, and really, there was no difference in quality. I'm sorry Japonessa, Mr. F and I were not too impressed this time around. 

1400 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 971-7979

Snack Quack - JULES - GASTOWN VANCOUVER

I love French Onion Soup.

Mr. F loves French Onion Soup. It was 3 in the afternoon and we both craved the intricate bowl of soft onions and croutons soaked in beef broth, topped off with steamy creamy oozy cheese.

That's when I was determined to find THE BEST Soupe a l’Oignon in the entire Vancouver. I told Mr. F we weren't going to settle for some cup-a-soup-a-soupy.

After some net surfing, I stumbled upon Jules Casual French Bistro in Gastown Vancouver.

We ordered: 2 of the Soupe a l’Oignon Gratinee (French Onion Soup)

Moules Frites (Steamed Mussels in White Wine with Garlic and Parsley Served with Fries)

Menu found here: http://www.julesbistro.ca/menu.html

AMBIENCE | It was a clear and gleaming day, so we chose to sit outside in a nice fenced off section in front of the restaurant. I peeped inside the restaurant and its very comfy roomy homey feel. Will definitely come back to try dinner.

DISHES | I'm only going to rave about how awesome the French Onion Soup is, the mussels were great, but merely a side dish to the day. Sorry shelleys, soupy stole your limelight! The soup from taste to presentation was amazing. The soup temperature is usually one of my biggest concerns. I cannot stand mediocre warm soup, my soup always has to be hot. Extra hot. Jules did a wonderful job of burning my finger when I touched the bowl (even after the waitress warned me) - I knew it was going to be fresh and delicious before I tried it. I also loved how the chef placed the slices of bread to creep between the cheese. The cheese was baked to a soft, stretchy golden texture with slightly burnt crisps on the side. Together, the broth and onions were perfect. I do critique it to be a tad salty, but I'm just being unnecessarily picky.

That said, I will still be scoping around town for THE BEST French Onion soup and will keep you all posted. If you are a die hard fan of the ultimate Soupe a l’Oignon, please, try Jules in Gastown. You will not be disappointed.
I'll see you there!

216 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC
(604) 669-0033

Lunch Munch - MODAVIE - OLD MONTREAL

A panorama of flowered cobblestone streets, veined brick walls, mixed with smiles full of steak and gravy - Montreal is truly a perfect harmony of classic Parisian romance and relaxed Canadian informality.

During my 3 month stay in Toronto, I wanted to explore the East coast and hence, I picked Quebec as one of my destinations. Despite the 6 hour drive, I honestly could not be more happy with my choice of venue and travel buddy. Our trip was a total of three days, to which we dedicated one full day and a half browsing Old Montreal. To be honest, there were so many beautiful restaurants in every block I couldn't remember my way around the town, let alone remember the restaurant choices. Each diner roamed with the smell of garlic and cheese, together with a rainbow of tourists, it was rather overwhelming. Pleasantly overwhelming that is, you will never experience anything like this in homie Vancity. There's something about strolling through this city that leaves a warm feeling I've never felt in Vancouver - maybe it's the sense of craving poutine, maybe it's the sight of the sun reflecting in the sea, or maybe it's just the joy of R&R I haven't had in a while. With all, Montreal is definitely a place I will return to.

Now I normally don't write this much, it's a FOOD blog not a talk-about-yourself-jibberish blog. But really, I just had to document Montreal, at least for the whole world to see...

Mr. F and I were down to decide between Steak Frites and Modavie for lunch. Both on opposite corners, both specializing in different foods - steak and lamb, respectively. Modavie has a little stamp on their menu quoting "Lamb, our Speciality". Mr. F loves lamb - everything from Asian hot pot lamb chops to the classic herb rack of lamb, so the decision was obvious. 

Mr. F ordered the Rack of Lamb - with goat cheese, Dijon mustard and sesame

I ordered the Endive & Apple Salad - with Roquefort and walnut oil vinaigrette

Menu found here: http://www.modavie.com/Menus05/menu%20VM.pdf

      

DISHES | Mr. F loved the rack of lamb, and naturally I snitched a few bites from him. I actually don't have much to critique about the lamb - it was the same as I expected. I had high expectations for a restaurant claiming "lamb, our speciality", and I certainly was not disappointed. I didn't taste much of the Dijon mustard, which wasn't too big of a deal, because the blend of herbs and spices topped with sesame were already sufficient. In terms of the lamb being gamey, I'd say the lamb was cooked to a medium rare perfection - tender yet not gamey. Should be majority accepted... that said...

The goat cheese for my apple salad was incredibly gamey. But sooo good! It literally melts in your mouth! But I normally don't mind it being gamey anyways (perhaps because I'm born in the year on the lamb?), and thought the goat was a perfect addition to my simple salad. The cook cleverly toned down the already mild vinaigrette, allowing the strong goat cheese to be the main focus of the dish. The sweet apples and hints of walnuts together with the fresh greens acted as a light companion to the fabulous cheese. I really enjoyed the salad. A perfect portion for lunch.

AMBIENCE | We sat in the corner of the restaurant with wide wooden windows alluring a soft breeze. I have a soft spot for old school Mary Jane romance - paintings, wood, copper and cobblestone mixed with white table clothes and country flowers. Yup, just like pretty much every girl in the world, I loved the interior of this restaurant. The ceiling and walls were actually painted water stains and burnt brick residue to add to its mature aura. The old bar in the middle and wall of wines was very comfortable and inviting. It is such a nice break from the usual contemporary lounge-y feel of bling metropolitan cities. I love this authentic European feel thats only a few provinces away.

Would I try Modavie again? Mr. F and I both agree - Yes. The same dishes? Probably not. Given lamb is their specialty, next time I would try lamb again, but opt for another seasoning technique. Don't get me wrong, the rack of lamb was utterly amazing - but nothing completely outside the box. The apple salad was gorgeous - but I do scope more interesting dishes on the menu.
To try next time? Dinner. Absolutely. Had I known there would be live Jazz during dinner, I would have waited the one hour lineup.

While there are many food choices on the strips of Old Montreal, Modavie is definitely a comfortable and light restaurant to enjoy the classic life of the French Canadian fusion.

1 Rue Saint Paul Ouest

Montreal, QC

H2Y 1Y6, Canada(514) 287-9582