Robson Street/West End Archives

Vancouver Hotpot: Liuyishou Hotpot Robson

April 18, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Liuyishou Hot Pot Week 2018 took place this past Chinese New Year where the renowned restaurant chain collaborated with Vancouver Gourmet Tours to offer a special celebration hot pot menu for customers. I had attended a media preview of the menu at Liuyishou’s location in Burnaby and had enjoyed it so much that I decided to purchase the deal to experience it again. This time, I decided to visit the Liuyishou location closest to me which is on Robson in Downtown Vancouver.

Note: One of the items in this review was gifted to me. Opinions are my own.

WHAT IS HOT POT?

For the uninitiated, hot pot is known as a Chinese soup consisting of various raw meats, vegetables, noodles, tofu, seafood and dumplings. These are dipped into a shared pot with a simmering pot of soup stock and eaten with dipping sauce.

CHOOSE A SOUP BASE

The experience starts with choosing a soup base. Liuyishou’s traditional Chongqing style soup base is prepared with special butter, red hot chili, Sichuan peppercorn, and other exotic herbs and spices. It’s meant to astonish all your senses with the spiciness, umami flavours and aromas. If spicy is not for you, Liuyishou also has other bases like Wild Mushroom, Special Pork Rib or Tomato Soup.

PRO TIP: There is an order to cooking raw food in your pot! The order is meat, seafood, mushroom, vegetables and noodles.

MAKE YOURSELF A PERFECT SAUCE

Mix your favourite sauces from the Liuyishou’s sauce bar featuring 20+ sauces, fresh herbs and spices. Cooked food is eaten with your own sauce mix.

What We Tried

I bought the Dinner for 2 deal ($72) which included 2 soup bases, 1 specialty dish, 2 proteins, 1 veggie, 1 starch, 2 drinks and dessert. Beer pairing by Red Truck Brewery is also included in the price.

Soup Base

For the soup bases, we went with the house spicy soup base and special pork rib. Both were very flavourful and satisfying soup bases.

Specialty Dish

We selected a deep-fried pork which had a nice golden exterior and had tender, slightly chewy pork meat on the inside.

Protein

For meats, we had the supreme lamb and beef slices.

Veggies

The mixed mushroom platter at Liuyishou included enoki, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, brown and white mushrooms.

Starch

I loved these deep fried buns from the media event and had to have them again. The buns had a perfect golden exterior and light, fluffy texture. Dip them with condensed milk for maximal enjoyment!

Dessert

For dessert, we enjoyed the bing fen – a cold dessert jelly which soothed the palate wonderfully from the spicy soup base.

And we received some sweet, glutinous rice balls as well (though not noted on the menu).

Meat Barbie

Thanks to Vancouver Gourmet Club, I received a gift order of Meat Barbie. Meat Barbie is wrapped up in strips of meat and diners need to “strip” off the layers to cook the meat in the hot pot. At Liuyishou, the Barbie comes standalone with beef for $25 or as a seafood and meat combo for $50. For my full review on Meat Barbie, visit here.

Liuyishou Hotpot Robson Interior

The interior of Liuyishou’s Robson location is modern with mostly booth seating and a few dining tables.

Service

The Robson location of Liuyishou seemed much busier than the Burnaby one. The restaurant was pretty much full while I was there and I noticed a lot of people had to put down their name on the waitlist. Service was a bit slow for the ordering part, but the food arrived in a timely manner.

Overall Impression of Liuyishou Hotpot Robson

We enjoyed our experience at Liuyishou Hotpot Robson and thought the Chinese New Year deal was of great value. The hot pot ingredients were of a good quality and quantity. I would be interested in enjoying hotpot at Liyishou again in the future. Rating: 4/5

Liuyishou Hotpot Robson
Address: 1542 Robson St, Vancouver, BC

Robson Street Fine Indian Restaurant: Spicy 6

April 11, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Robson Street is home to some amazing restaurants in Vancouver serving up a wide range of cuisines. If you’re craving Indian food, you might just consider Spicy 6 (Robson & Thurlow) that offers authentic Indian food with a modern twist. Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Spicy 6 and try a few of their offerings.

Disclosure: All food and drinks in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Charming and Elegant Interior

Spicy 6 is sort of a hidden gem being located on the second level of the building. Walking into the restaurant, I noticed the calm and relaxing atmosphere; it’s a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. If you sit by the window, you can enjoy the views of Robson Street.

The well-appointed interior boasts beautiful and colourful Indian-inspired murals. The restaurant is more on the fine dining side with its ambiance. White tablecloths with neatly folded napkins and simple floral centerpieces.

Spicy 6 Menu

The chefs from Spicy 6 are from New Delhi and they specialize in tandoori dishes. Some of the tandoori creations on the menu include Mustard Chicken Tikka, Lamb Sheekh Kabob, Tandoori Prawn and so forth. Also on the menu are a variety of non-vegetarian (like Chicken Korma, Saag Chicken, Kadai Lamb) and vegetarian main dishes (like Muttar Paneer, Aloo Gobi, Okra Masala). They also offer a lunch buffet.

What I Tried

Exotic Saffron Chicken ($25)

As I was a judge in the Vancouver Foodster Curry Challenge, I had the opportunity to try Spicy 6’s participating curry. The Exotic Saffron Chicken featured stuffed chicken with cottage cheese in a savoury curry. Served with jasmine rice and naan. I liked how they got creative and stuffed the chicken with cheese; that made the dish much more memorable. A good, savoury curry overall. Spicy 6 end up being the third place winner in the media judge’s category for the challenge.

Tandoori Prawn ($19)

I also tried the Tandoori Prawn featuring jumbo prawns marinated in grounded mustard, yogurt and spiced cooked in a clay oven. The prawns were nicely sized, bouncy and I enjoyed the smokey flavours.

Butter Chicken ($17)

I’ve been looking for new place to order butter chicken for takeout on a regular basis and Spicy 6 just might be it! I really loved their rich, flavourful butter chicken which had a nice balance of sweet and tomato flavours. The chicken pieces were tender and juicy. I would definitely love to have this again.

Naan

I also thought that Spicy 6’s naan was well-executed being crispy and chewy on the outside and light on the inside.

Peshawari Naan ($6)

One of the surprising standouts from the meal was the peshawari naan, which is a sort of dessert naan. I’ve never had a sweet naan before so this was a real treat for me. This naan was stuffed with cashews, pistachio, raisins and coconut. Loved the sweet nutty flavours and textures; it’s really worth having either as a side or dessert.

Overall Impression of Spicy 6

I really enjoyed the rich, flavourful Indian dishes at Spicy 6 and thought the prices and portions were reasonable for the area. I’d certainly be interested in revisiting as well as ordering some takeout. If you do want a nice sit-down experience for Indian cuisine, Spicy 6 has a lovely atmosphere to enjoy a meal. Rating: 4/5

Spicy 6 Fine Indian Cuisine
Address: 1116 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Website: www.spicy6.com

Newly Opened: Rice and Noodle Robson Vancouver

February 23, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly opened last month on Robson Street is Rice and Noodle, a budget-friendly, casual eatery serving Asian-style rice and noodle dishes. I had heard about their opening through Instagram and was curious about their menu. In the last month, I visited Rice & Noodle for both dine-in and takeout. Here’s a look at my experience.

Disclosure: None of the food in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Rice and Noodle Menu

On the menu at Rice and Noodle are fast-food style, MSG-free Asian dishes at affordable prices. You’ll find Thai staples like pad thai, green curry, red curry and tom yum soup; Japanese noodle dishes like yakiudon; Chinese dishes like chowmein and kung pao chicken; and Chinese-Malaysian fusion noodle soup bowls like laksa. Some of their dishes are noted to be gluten-free. Their current menu has 13 dishes available priced around $10-$11. They also have family combos to feed 3, 4 or 5 people as well as a small selection of sides (like spring rolls, gyoza and more).

The entrees are customizable for choice of protein including chicken, beef, tofu, mixed veggies, and seafood (extra). You can also choose your spiciness level available from level 1 (mild) to level 10 (spicy). If you’re feeling extra hungry, you can also opt to have extra protein as well.

Ordering Process

You will need to order at the front, have a seat and the food is brought out to you when ready. The interior is minimal but clean and spacious. There is a mix of cozy banquettes, booth seating and a high top table.

What I Tried

On my first visit, I ordered quite simply a laksa ($10.99) with extra seafood (+$3). The laksa had a curry coconut broth, rice noodle, broccoli, carrot, onion, tofu, zucchini topped with bean sprouts, boiled egg, and cilantro. I was impressed with the quality of the ingredients and the amount given was reasonable for the price. The curry coconut broth was very good; it might be on the thinner side compard to other places but I liked that it wasn’t too rich or oil. Their broth has such a great flavour that it’s the kind where you want to drink it in the end.

And because I enjoyed the laksa so much, I ordered it again via foodora. In the takeout version, they keep the broth separate from the rest of the ingredients. Still very delicious, and perfectly comforting for these cold, snowy days.

I also ordered a pad thai for takeout and thought the noodles were quite al-dente while the dish had pretty good flavour. I normally don’t have pad thai in-restaurant or for takeout but Rice and Noodle’s version was good.

Overall Impression of Rice and Noodle

In general, I enjoyed Rice and Noodle’s dishes with fresh ingredients as well as good portions, pricing and flavour with being reliant on MSG or chemical preservatives. I’d definitely be interested to return either for dining in or takeout. Rating: 4/5

Rice and Noodle
Address: 1236 Robson Street, Vancouver
Website: ‎thericeandnoodle.com

English Bay Fish and Chips: The Daily Catch

December 23, 2017 by foodgressing 2 Comments

The Daily Catch is known as a seafood market in Vancouver offering 100% sustainable seafood. But did you know that their Denman location also operates as a Fish and Chip Kitchen? This past summer, I decided to try some of their prepared food offerings. Here’s a look at how it went.

All of the hot food offered by the Daily Catch is also 100% sustainable. Fish and Chips can be enjoyed as one piece or two pieces and come with chips, coleslaw and tartar. They also serve a Baja Style Fish Taco and Boston and Manhattan Style Clam Chowders.

Interior & Service

The interior was minimal but functional with a mix of small dining tables, high top tables and seating by the window. How it works is you place your order at the counter, they give you a number and food is brought to your table. The food took about 15 minutes as the fish and chips were freshly fried.

What We Tried

Note: None of the food was complimentary. This review was done anonymously. Opinions are my own.

The Fish and Chips were OK overall. I thought the fish mostly had a nice, golden brown exterior (one part might have been a bit too dark). The batter was crispy and the fish was tender. The coleslaw wasn’t particularly flavourful in my opinion. I think Go Fish on Granville Island has the best coleslaw with Fish and Chips. The fries could have been crisper and could have used more seasoning.

The Manhattan Chowder was also just OK with a reasonable amount of ingredients. A good balance between tomato and clam flavour. The soup wasn’t too thick nor too thin.

Overall Impression of The Daily Catch

It was interesting to see that Daily Catch serves prepared hot food in addition to being a seafood market. I thought the Fish and Chips and chowder we tried were mostly standard and nothing really to write home about. I’d still be OK with returning in the future as there aren’t too many Fish and Chips options in English Bay. Rating: 3.5/5

The Daily Catch
Address: 1059 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC
Website: dailycatchseafood.ca‎

Cincin Ristorante Holiday Lunch on Until Dec 22

December 19, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

It’s that wonderful time of the year in Vancouver where restaurants we love that are usually only open for dinner are now open for lunch. One such restaurant is longstanding CinCin Ristorante on Robson Street which is open for holiday lunch until December 22. Lead by Executive Chef Andrew Richardson, CinCin is about modern and inspired Italian cuisine. I recently attend a small media lunch at CinCin. Here’s a look at the delights that we indulged in.

Disclosure: All food and drinks in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

CinCin’s open kitchen concept allows guests to see all the magic that goes into each recipe and dish. Executive Chef Andrew Richardson was on site the day we visited and it was a pleasure to meet him and watch him at work in the kitchen. There is certainly a great deal of attention to detail.

Now one of the exciting aspects of CinCin’s kitchen is a two-metre behemoth of stainless steel that features a massive grill and rotisserie. This is what gives each recipe a distinct layer of flavour. I was able to get inside the kitchen and stand close to it and what I can say is that it is very very hot!

To start, our party enjoyed some festive cocktails and appetizers including burrata with golden and chioggia beets, smoked orange, and pistachios, cauliflower soup and risotto of wild mushrooms.

For my main, I had the mixed grill of seafood featuring rainbow chard, panisse, anchovy, rosemary and chili. The rainbow chard had an amazing crispy skin exterior while being tender and flaky on the inside. Very delicious and I would certainly recommend it.

Another dish that was quite popular among attendees was the slow cooked crispy duck with braised red cabbage and red wine with coronation grapes.

For dessert, I indulged in a very festive treat: dulcey and pumpkin fondant featuring warm pumpkin and rum ganache. On the side was ginger gelato made in-house. A warm, goey and comforting pumpkin dessert on a skillet which went well with a refreshing ginger gelato.

There was also the tiramisu with espresso soaked lady fingers, mascarpone mousse, cocoa nibs and 63% chocolate.

CinCin’s holiday lunch is on until December 22. For more information, visit www.cincin.net.

CinCin Ristorante
Address: 1154 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Website: ‎www.cincin.net/

House Made Chocolates & Macarons by CinCin

December 11, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

CinCin is one long-standing restaurant in Vancouver serving upscale Italian dishes, handmade pasta along with an extensive wine menu. But in case you want to take a bit of the dining experience home after a delightful meal at CinCin, you might consider one of their delectable Take Home dessert boxes. Last week, I attended a small media gathering at CinCin and at the end we were presented with box full of goodies prepared by CinCin’s Pastry Chef, Lewis Birch.

Our box contained a variety of housemade sweets including Passionfruit Jelly, Peppermint Bonbon (pink and white), Lime and Mint Bonbon (dark green), Raspberry Truffle and Brandy Truffle. There were also some very unique macaron flavours: Duck Fat Caramel (blue), Orange and Clove (orange), Pecan and Black Truffle (white). While all the treats were very tasty, it was love at first bite with the Orange and Clove macaron. I absolutely loved the mild citrusy flavour.

For more information in CinCin, visit cincin.net.

The Holy Crab on Robson St: Seafood Boil To Go

November 3, 2017 by foodgressing 2 Comments

Seafood boils had become a bit of a food trend of late in Vancouver. Within the last year, Toronto-based Captain’s Boil had opened up three locations in Metro Vancouver. Several months ago, The Holy Crab opened up in the West End at 1588 Robson Street. Having enjoyed my experience at the Captain’s Boil, I decided to give The Holy Crab a try. But this time, I decided to go about it differently by ordering takeout. Seafood boil at home? Sure, let’s see how it turns out.

Note: None of the food in this review was complimentary. This review is done anonymously. All opinions are my own. My experience also dates back to June 2017 so things may or may not have changed since then.

Ordering via foodora

I went about it by ordering from The Holy Crab via foodora. While many restaurants charge more for their items that are ordered through a third-party service (as they need to pay a certain percentage to them), I found that The Holy Crab didn’t charge extra. Therefore, The Holy Crab’s menu on foodora is the same as their regular menu.

What I ordered

My foodora order consisted of 2 pounds of shrimp ($15 x 2), crispy chicken strips ($9.50), and crispy fish fingers ($8.75).

Picking up the order was a no-frills experience. *However*, after I got home, I noticed that one of the items was missing: the crispy chicken strips. Shortly after, I received a call from the restaurant who notified me that they had mistakingly left out that item. They asked if I could return to the restaurant to pick it up. I declined as I had already made my way home so it was decided that foodora would cancel the charge for the item. I contacted foodora afterward and the charge for the crispy chicken strips was canceled.

The shrimp were nicely arranged in the boxes and appeared reasonable in size and quality. I found them to be very bouncy in texture which was nice.

The cajun sauce was packaged into separate containers. I was quite looking forward to having the sauce with the shrimp as the sauce is one of the highlights of a seafood boil experience. Unfortunately, the sauce was a great disappointment as it was simply too salty, too garlicky and too overpowering. In comparison, the signature sauce at The Captain’s Boil is much appealing in terms of flavour. The Holy Crab’s sauce did not meet my expectations. Put it this way, my husband and I decided to forgo the sauce and just eat the shrimp on its own because the sauce was so unpleasant.

Surprisingly, the crispy chicken fingers were the highlight of the meal. That doesn’t say much considering the seafood boil was supposed to be the highlight. The fries were OK and could have done without the seasoning they applied.

Overall Impression of The Holy Crab

I really wanted to like The Holy Crab but the flavours just didn’t appeal to me. The sauce was the greatest disappointment but the texture and the quality of the shrimp was reasonable. I don’t have an interest in ordering from The Holy Crab again and would recommend dining at The Captain’s Boil instead. Rating: 2.5/5

The Holy Crab
Address: 1588 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Website: www.theholycrab.ca

Cafe Phin Takeout Via foodora

July 18, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Cafe Phin is a small, Vietnamese restaurant on Denman serving casual Vietnamese eats like banh mi and pho. In the West End, I have frequented Pho Central, Pho Goodness and Viet Sub so I wanted to try something new. I decided to order foodora delivery from Cafe Phin to see how their food compared to the other popular Vietnamese eateries in the West End.

My foodora order consisted of a Five Spice Pork Belly Banh Mi ($6.49), Prawn Salad Roll ($6.49) and Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi ($6.49). Even after accounting for delivery time, I thought the baguette for the sandwiches weren’t particularly crispy on the outside. Both banh mi weren’t all that flavourful with the Lemongrass chicken one being rather bland. The amount of meat in the sandwiches was less than expected and had mostly veggies.

The Prawn Salad Roll was perhaps the best of the order. It was filled with lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, noodles and pickled veggies. I thought the proportion of prawns to everything things was reasonable. The rice paper wrapper was nicely delicate and chewy.

Overall Impression of Cafe Phin

Unfortunately, the food from Cafe Phin failed to impress me and did not entice me to order from them again. I’m sticking to my regulars in the West End like Pho Goodness and Pho Central on Davie. Rating: 2.5/5

GET $10 OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER

With my referral link, you can receive $10 off your first foodora order with a minimum order of $20. Using your mobile device, click here to receive the deal: https://bnc.lt/YR5e/QxdZHcjmXL. New customers only.

Cafe Phin
Address: 976 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC
Foodora Site: www.foodora.ca/restaurant/s9ih/cafe-phin-and-pho

“Iceblast” Sashimi Platter at Ebisu Robson

July 4, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Back in May, I was collaborating with the Robson Business Improvement Association to showcase some top Robson foodie spots. One restaurant on Robson that I have enjoyed dining at in the past is Ebisu, part of the Kamei Group of Japanese restaurants. For the collaboration, I decided to feature one of their sashimi platters, the Iceblast.

Disclosure: All food in this review was complimentary. Opinions are my own.

The Iceblast comes with fresh Japanese scallops (5), sweet amaebi prawns (2), wild sockeye salmon sashimi (4), tuna belly toro sashimi (4), spicy tuna sashimi (5), and fresh oysters (6) with homemade cocktail sauce. Priced at $49.95, the platter is presented on dry ice. The theatrical part or “ice blast” is when the server adds water to the dry ice at tableside to produce smoke.

Check out my Instagram video of the smoke from the dry ice:

This week, I’m excited to be partnering with @robsonstreet to showcase some of my favorite foodie spots #onRobson. First up, the “Ice Blast” from @ebisuvancouver is perfect for sashimi 🍣 lovers. It features…get ready…fresh Japanese scallops, sweet amaebi prawns, wild sockeye salmon sashimi, hamachi yellowtail sashimi, tuna belly toro sashimi, spicy tuna sashimi, and fresh oysters with homemade cocktail sauce! Love the fun theatrics of the dry ice (only available Friday and Saturdays). A great place to enjoy some tasty bites while visiting Robson Street. Be sure to follow 👉 #EatRobson to find out more must-try restaurants on Robson. . Disclosure: media partnership | Music credit: Rock Angel by Joakim Karud . #foodie #foodgressing #foodstagram #yum #foodporn #feedfeed #oysters #salmon #seafood #foodbeast#forkyeah #food52 #foodblogger #blog #vancouver #blogger #sushi #vancouverisawesome #japanesefood #video #foodvideo #videography #chef #explorebc #aburi #sashimi #yvreats #vancouver #sushi

A post shared by FOODGRESSING.COM | Areta (@foodgressing) on May 9, 2017 at 4:15pm PDT

After all the smoke clears up, you can see quite a beautifully arranged platter with glistening and skillfully cut sashimi. The sashimi were good quality and lended to a clean taste. I enjoyed the tuna belly toro and spicy tuna sashimi the most from the rich taste and buttery texture.

I found it really neat that they arranged the Japanese scallops in a flower pattern on a lemon slice with a ball of wasabi in the middle.

Overall Impression

The Iceblast seems to be best enjoyed with a group of people. I’d order it again in the future for a party of 2 or more. Just a note: according to the server, the dry ice only comes with the platter on the weekends. Rating: 4/5

Website: www.ebisu.ca

Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna Robson Street

June 25, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna has been one of my go-to places in the West End for comfort food. I’ve dined in at their Davie location countless times over the last 15 years but their food is also pretty good for takeout. As many might recall, Stepho’s has been a longstanding restaurant in Vancouver and is famous for lineups. So it was no surprise with their much success that a second location opened on Robson Street back in 2014. I had yet to try their Robson Street location so when I was craving for some Stepho’s recently I decided to go with their Robson restaurant.

I went with my usual take-out order which was Kalamaria Dinner ($12.95) and Roast Lamb ($14.95). When I first opened the containers, I noticed how neatly the food was presented in the boxes. The Davie location can get pretty sloppy sometimes. The Kalamaria Dinner comes with rice pilaf, roast potatoes and Greek salad. The calamari crispiness can be inconsistent, with it sometimes being a bit soggy. However, this time it was wonderfully crispy. The rice pilaf was light, fluffy and you could taste the individual grains. The vegetables in the Greek Salad tasted fresh and I enjoyed the zesty flavours of the dressing.

The Roast Lamb is another one of my favourites and it is served with roast potatoes, vege briani and Greek Salad. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the vege briani was hearty and flavourful. I have seen people complain in the past about the greasiness of Stepho’s food, but really I think it’s part of why it is that tasty. In my opinion, the grease level isn’t all that bad and I find it quite tolerable.

Overall Impression of Stepho’s Souvlaki

I continue to be a fan of Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna for dine-in or take-out. Their hearty flavours, large portions, and for what it’s worth, the comfort from all that greasy goodness, makes me come back time and time again. Judging from the number of customers inside and how quickly they pick up the phone, the Robson location seems less busy than the Davie one. They might just take better care with your order. Rating: 4.5/5

WHAT IS HOT POT?

CHOOSE A SOUP BASE

MAKE YOURSELF A PERFECT SAUCE

What We Tried

Soup Base

Specialty Dish

Protein

Veggies

Starch

Dessert

Meat Barbie

Liuyishou Hotpot Robson Interior

Service

Overall Impression of Liuyishou Hotpot Robson

Charming and Elegant Interior

Spicy 6 Menu

What I Tried

Exotic Saffron Chicken ($25)

Tandoori Prawn ($19)

Butter Chicken ($17)

Naan

Peshawari Naan ($6)

Overall Impression of Spicy 6

Rice and Noodle Menu

Ordering Process

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Rice and Noodle

Interior & Service

What We Tried

Overall Impression of The Daily Catch

Ordering via foodora

What I ordered

Overall Impression of The Holy Crab

Overall Impression of Cafe Phin

GET $10 OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER

Overall Impression

Overall Impression of Stepho’s Souvlaki

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