Zakkushi

Zakkushi is another example of why I am a terrible blogger. I don't like to take photos of my food, I like to stuff my face. I have been there at least a dozen times and I couldn't quite put into words my affinity with the Japanese meat-on-a-stick variety. I couldn't fit it into the proper boxes of [Words][Photos][Description]. Something always came up: I forgot to take photos. I accidentally got drunk. I mistakenly left Albert in charge of taking photos (cuz he's Asian). I went there on date night and was more interested in making out. More often than not I just lul'd myself into an izakaya carb coma and didn't give a flying fuck about blogging (cuz it's lame). Needless to say, all I have to show for all those fun times are some blurry photos of meat on a stick. More specifically blurry photos of sticky rice, wrapped in BACON, and covered with MELTED CHEESE.

Burrata Bitches!

See previous entry.

Sometimes a really awesome friend will take you out for dinner at Nook and you will each have to get your own burrata because neither of you are willing to share. Then you make the mistake of trying to add up the 1000+ calories in this dish. Sidenote: you will not find "Creamy Cheese Soaked in Cream" listed as an option in one of those calorie counting apps. 

Ps. If you die before eating one of these your life is not worth living. 

Buckstop

It doesn't have to make sense. Sometimes you put a couple of shorty forty's of caramel vodka in your rootbeer and you go watch This is the End. Then you go for barbecue at your local shitty joint. It's not awesome, but at least they're not d-bags like down the street at a vomit-boring, pseudo-UK Donnelly gig. This city needs less of that and more of awesome. Turn down the suck knob Vancouver.

Damso Modern Korean Cuisine: Seafood Edition

Lunch with Karlsberg was a seafood-only situation at the new Korean joint next to Kingyo on Denman. I got the feeling that this place simply has a heart of gold, that they are trying really hard; to be cool, and modern, and upscale, and to be liked. It's worth looking past the tiny rough spots because the food is tasty.

Spicy Seafood Lettuce Wraps. As in SPICY spicy. As in sweating your balls off spicy. I'm sure that they were hiding in the kitchen, laughing at me as I gasped for air and mascara trickled down my face. Delicious and worth the pain.

Bibimbap - My favorite part is the rice that sticks to the side and gets super crispy. Mmmmmm.

Bouillabaisse - This was my least favorite of all three, I think I'm just generally not a fan of fish-based soups.

Do you feel like having a little something Korean?

Charming place, great flavors, really looking forward to going back to try the other assorted meats, including the Osso Bucco Bibimbap.

Farewell Mr. Kumpir

You know what you do when your baked potato enterprise fails? You turn it into another generic falafal joint in the Denman Falafal Strip Mall. Mr. Kumpir is now F&F (Falafal & Friends, WTF?), which is next to the Mediterranean Grill next to the Babylon Cafe, and so on. Do you know what else you do? You don't throw out that sandwich board, you recycle that shit.

Tavola + Nook = Ten Pounds of Pasta

Recently I was cutting weight for a fight and restricted from eating carbs for six weeks.  This was painful because I love complex carbs. I live for them, I dream about them, I plan my meals around them and one of the main reasons I work out so often is so I can consume them daily. Therefore the bread, burrata, pasta, potatoes, perogies, pastries, and pizza were all put on hold and my will power was put to the test. For six weeks I sweated my ass off for those ten pounds. The night before my fight I successfully weighed-in and BAM! I was like a fat kid in a candy store. Where did I go to carb-load and celebrate this grand occasion? Tavola. And the next night, Tavola. And two nights after that, Nook. Not even shitting you, it only took two days for my gluttonous ass to gain back the weight in pasta alone.
Previously I have raved about Nook and my infatuation with the Burrata. Coming from the same family and formerly Tapestree, Tavola has more seating, house-made pastas, sans pizza, and the kicker being - wait for it - a version of my beloved Burrata! Just around the corner from Nook, Tavola is a place you bring people you love, a place you meet with friends, share plates, and fight each other for the last heavenly mouthful. Just go, or I'll kick your ass.

The margarita pizza from Nook. Definitely making my top ten.

Burrata Update.

Because of wine and lighting, I've never been able to get a good photo of the Burrata from Nook. I finally do and my technological ineptitude prevents me from getting the fucker right-side-up. I gave up because this edible treasure is my favorite thing on the face of the earth, so tilt your head sideways and imagine how amazing your life will be once you've tried it.

This is the American vs. Italian variation. I think that I remember the American one being creamier.

Khunnai Chang Madame Elephant Thai Cuisine

My parents and friends were in town and were keen to try some authentic Thai grub, so my requirements were that it had to be in the neighborhood and it had to accomidate a party of 6. This knocked out Thai Basil, Thai Away Home, and Urban Thai Bistro, my preferred Thai go-to places, simply because of size and location. My friend and amazing hairstylist Justine reccomended Madame Elephant and it fit us perfectly.

Being on Denman near Robson it was within walking distance, it was cozy, the service was adorable, and best of all it surpassed all my expectations in the taste department.

Yellow Curry with Chicken in Coconut Milk.

The Pad Thai.

Stir Fried Crispy Pork with Broccoli.

Stir Fried Prawns with Onion, Chili and Green Pepper.

It looks Authentic right?

Ps. Classic terrible deco made it all the more amazing.

Nook Update

Pre-Birthday dinner at Nook with my favorite Wrangers introduced me to something that changed my life. The Burrata. Apparently it's provolone injected with cream, on top of prosciutto, on top of a soft toasted piece of bread. Basically it's insanely delicious and literally after the three of us polished off one we didn't hesitate to order a second.

I know it's a shitty photo, but as if I'm gonna pull out a flash. Anyways you'll just have to imagine how pretty this melt-in-your-mouth this orgasmic experience was.

The Prosciutto and Buffallo Mozarella.

Apparently I have an affinity towards cured meats and cheeses.

Nook has become my favorite go-to place as of late, it just has this romantic and charming atmosphere that slowly seduces you, bite by bite.

Kintaro Ramen

This is where I explain how much of a retard I am. 

I had several people rave to me about the Kintaro Ramen Noodle Shop, and being a noodle lover I was stoked on trying it out. I even made several failed attempts before successfully hitting it up for lunch recently. 

 

This was  the spicy ginger special. I didn't try it, but the massive dollop of garlic on top was legit.

This is the "Kintaro's Best!!" Miso Ramen with the lean pork and medium broth. I was like, "Are you sure this is what Ramen tastes like??" As it rattled my preconceived notions of Mr. Noodle that my mother used to buy by the case (mushroom flavor was my personal after-school favorite). I'm not sure I was ready for the rich, authentic taste of the porkbone soup and probably could have gone with the light broth. In any case, the handmade noodles were de-licious. 

Raincity Grill: Fish and Chips Bro!

Perfect way to spend the afternoon with the people you love most. Halibut fish and chips from Raincity Grill, sitting in the sunshine by the ocean. Finish it off with some Gelato and life can't get much better. 

Kadoya #2 Addendum

If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a creature of habit. This doesn't always bode well for bringing NEW! and EXCITING! information to a blog, but yet again, fuck it. I'm all about finding the places in my hood that I can call my own, my hovels of comfort, the places I can rely on for being their awesome or awesome-ly shitty selves.

Now that it's getting warm out, the Denman Kadoya patio is a perfect place to catch up with besties.

Inari Nigiri: one of my favs, the oh-so-sweet bean curd sac.

Chicken Karaage: it tastes as weird as it looks. Unless you're a fan of tempura-flavored chicken dry ribs style, don't do it.

KCC Thai Noodle Aroy, AKA: Thai Noodle AWRY

What do I know about Thai food? Absolutely nothing, other than the fact that Pad Thai is delicious. I'm the white girl who can barely handle pepper because it's too spicy, so don't take me too seriously. BUT in a rainy epic fail to try out the Kintaro Ramen place on Denman and Robson on a Monday (hint: it's closed), I spotted the KCC Thai place across the street thinking, "A noodle is a noodle" right? Wrong. Even I can tell by the color that there is not nearly enough of that magical Thai ketchup in this dish. 

 And there's only ONE prawn!

How Exactly Do You Pronounce "Mr. Kumpir"?

Apparently an establishment can survive selling only baked potatoes. Yup. Giant baked potatoes. This bright and friendly venue, Mr. Kumpir, serves Turkish stuffed potatoes at the South end of Denman. There are several options and a variety of toppings but I've opted for the Traditional (bacon bits, green onions, and sour cream) with added corn. Oh, and the potato part itself is a pseudo-twice baked kind, they scoop the warm potato out of the skin, MIX CHEESE INTO IT, and then put it back in! I know I shouldn't be getting this excited about potatoes, but it's one of my favourite combinations of all time. Potato + Cheese = Happiness. You eventually get past the initial shock of having to eat this thing that looks like a singed turd capsule, dehissing it's bowels of tasty toppings. Once you mix it all up, another satisfying carb experience.

Ps. Do not consume and then follow up with an ab workout or you will be puking up Mr. Potato Head. 

Nook

The Rigatoni Boscaiola

















The Gnocchi



The wine



Melissa's Bucatini, aka hollow and unslurpable spaghetti.



Arthur's Orecchiette, which I did not try but thoroughly enjoyed watching him lick his plate clean.

I really have to stop getting so drunk when I eat out or all my reviews will be the same:
Guys. This place is ssoooooooooo awesome. This is like the best pasta I'VE EVER HAD....EVER.
Yayaya, lets totally get another bottle of wine.

I scoped out this little place on the north end of Denman when I was ending my sushi quest, heard great things about it from friends, and was happy to use it as an excuse to go on a double date. If you know me, you know I love Italian food. Olives, carbs, and wine; and I'm happier than a pig in shit. The service was thoughtful, knowledgeable, and patient with our disastrous pronunciation. I enjoyed the wine that she suggested and will probably hunt it down to have at home.

I shared the olives and meatballs to start, both were decent but nothing to write home about. (sidenote: I didn't find the menu tiny, but sort-of like a scrawny teenager that needs to fill out a bit). I ate the Rigatoni Boscaiola, which in all seriousness, might actually be the best pasta I've ever had. The Boscaiola is this incredible mushroom sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto. Great ingredients, rich sauce, I will probably eat the exact same thing every time I go back. No jokes. My date had the Gnocchi with baby meatballs in a tomato sauce. And I personally love the homemade gnocchi, even if the texture leans toward the side of doughy. Finished off with the chocolate puddingy thing for desert, and as far as I remember, guys, it was awesome.