Cafe Medina (Vancouver, BC)

This post was actually a long time coming - seeing as it is now February and I went to Cafe Medina when I was noshing for waffles around the time that I visited Patisserie Lebeau and Damien's Belgium Waffles.

Upon seeing Frank at Vanfoodies at the East is East dinner, he questioned whether I was done writing Cafe Medina. I remembered that I had, in fact, bumped into him there. (Rather - we were milling about in the "waiting crowd" outside on a weekend morning for brunch.) I was reminded again as he posted about it a couple days later.

I visited Cafe Medina with two of my favourite ladies in the world, MYY and F-to-the-Izzo (my favourite Izzo of them all, that is. :) (Fine, lets make that FMace, as in favourite Mace of them all, while we're at it.) Cousin Nate was also along for the ride and be still your hearts, his six-year-old-full-of-frenetic-energy body actually lasted the long 20-30 minute wait he had to endure!

We started off with an assortment of hot beverages (clockwise from top left): a matcha tea latte, a mocha, hot chocolate, and a London Fog. Pretty and delicious at the same time!



Cousin Nate ordered a duo of waffles with milk chocolate lavendar. We were a little afraid his pint-sized tastebuds wouldn't appreciate the lavendar, but he liked it just fine! It kept him busy for...about ten minutes.

What'd the ladies have? We ordered the Les Boulettes, the Tagine, and the Fricasse. As per the menu, the Les Boulettes includes "2 poached eggs, spicy Moroccan meatballs, cilantro, hummus cucumber tomato salad. Grilled Foccacia.", while the Tagine had "2 poached eggs on spicy tomato stew and red pepper, merguez sausage, sundried black olives, and cilantro. Grilled Foccaccia.". Meanwhile, the Fricasse had "2 fried eggs on braised short ribs, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, arugula and smoked applewood cheddar. Grilled Foccacia."

It was a lot of egg, and a lot of meat. That being said, it was flavourful. The Les Boulettes (F'maces' choice), shown above, had perfectly poached eggs that were perfect for dunking the foccacia into. The meatballs, although billed as being spicy, were lightly spiced and were a touch dry. The sauce was spicy, though, and made up for the lack of spice in the meatball. The sauce was also enjoyed on the focaccia.



The Tagine (above, left) was ordered by yours truely. the sausage was a little on the dry / lean side again, but the dish was executed nicely with spicy sauce and the occasional olive. Poached eggs again on this one.

The Fricasse had to be the heaviest meal of them all. Roasted potatoes, onions, cheddar, and braised short ribs. The meat was the best by far in this dish, and although Fizzo tried her hardest...she couldn't finish it.

What? Did I forget something? Yes, I went there for waffles, right? The waffles were, as rumoured and enjoyed by many, were delicious. The accompanying dipping sauces were yummy as well. 

While Nate had ordered the milk chocolate lavender early on, we finished with a single white chocolate pistachio rosewater dip - to share. *That* is how full we were from our meals. While the milk chocolate sauce was light on the milk chocolate, the latter had nice white chocolate, hints of pistachio, and just a whisper of rosewater. I'd order the latter again.

In light of the Olympics, Cafe Medina will be open late every night during the Olympics, and will also have a take-out window for all your yummy street-eating needs!

Cafe Medina
556 Beatty Street
Vancouver BC
P: 604-879-3114

Long Table Series at Irish Heather Pub (Gastown, Vancouver, BC)

It was a cold, stark, wet Tuesday night as Yum-O-Rama and other food bloggers descended upon Irish Heather Pub in Gastown for the Cornish Game Hen meal in the Long Table Series. The event was organized by Kim, of I'm Only Here For the Food!, and in attendance were the bloggers behind Sherman's Food Adventures, 604Foodtography, Secret Eden, Food and Tell, and Five Loaves.

At the extended Long Table Series (it started and was only supposed to run in the summer), guests are seated at one looooong communal table and served one meal - the night we visited, it was roast Cornish Game Hen with long-laboured gravy, house cut chips, and a simple slaw.



The night was sponsored by Steam Whistle beer - how else would you get a meal and a beer for only $12? The beer supplied was a pilsner - nice, light, and while M would call it "sweet", I would simply say that it didn't have the typical "hoppy" flavour of other light beers. We think the Steam Whistle Beer paired nicely with the meal of the night, although it would also taste great alongside a creamy pot pie, white fish, or a spicy Thai or Malaysian meal.



It was a very professional affair - we were greeted at the door and asked to wait in the back holding area, then ushered from there in one big group to the long table. After the chef gave a beautiful description of the making of the meal, our plates were brought to us banquet style.

I never noticed how I enjoyed hearing about how the food was made. A *long* time ago, when I attended one of Fairmonts' apprentice appreciation dinners, the slight wait while the chef described the making of each course and the reasoning behind the dish components was well worth it as the narrative made each dish more enjoyable. I *still* remember the sablefish liver pate, cured sablefish, and anise pudding course from one Fairmont team that just blew me away. So - chef at Irish Heather, you increased my Cornish Game Hen enjoyment by +5 points! (Sorry, too much Mafia Wars as of late.)



Needless to say, I enjoyed my meal. The previous time I had Cornish Game Hen, it was stuffed with truffle and other ingredients, and was done too dry. That was not the case at Irish Heather, where the meat was juicy and tender. The house cut chips were a nice accompaniment - crispy, not too starchy, and perfect for dunking into their gorgeous gravy. May I add - several diners around us (and us included!) asked for more gravy, just for dunking. The coleslaw was not creamy, but not acidic either. The slaw was slightly marinated in a light dressing and made for the perfect side. This was the perfect comfort-food meal!

Irish Heather

208 Carrall St [map]
Vancouver BC
P: (604) 688-9779
To make reservations for the Long Table Series, please visit the Long Table Series Blog



Other bloggers take:

Kim - I'm Only Here For the Food!
Sherman - Sherman's Food Adventures
Kevin - 604Foodtography
Jenny - Secret Eden
Jonathan - Food and Tell
Joyce & Frank - Foodie Adventures
Danny - Five Loaves

Review: La Casita in Gastown (Vancouver BC)

La Casita is a family run Mexican Restaurant meets sports bar meets "place to hang out on the weekends with the guys". The portions were substantial and being that we weren't quite satisfied with our dineout meal, we wandered into La Casita and were warmly greeted by the manager and waitstaff.



We were, admittedly, half-full, but it was the weekend and after flipping through their large menu, we decided to split combo #4, and two drinks that the waiter recommended, the Casita Sunrise. It was like a tequila sunrise, but with pineapple and orange juice, and (if I heard it correctly, 2 oz of tequila). Personally, I don't think it was two ounces of tequila, but it could have been the food that made me full, and not boozy.

Combo four came with two chorizo and mushroom quesadillas, a salad, and six hot wings. M really liked the quesadillas. He said that the flavour of the mushroom and chorizo really came through. I would like to note, and I appreciate that he tortillas were home-made. Home made tastes better!

I was actually getting a little full, and liked that the salad wasn't a plain green salad. It was a marinated slaw of sorts, and I love that they had fresh avocado garnishing the plate. The chicken wings were average, although I liked that there was extra hot sauce on the table for you to add as you pleased! Another bonus was that the food, although filling and rich, was not greasy. Finally, a Mexican restaurant that is not all about greasy fingers and shiny lips!

Service was great, considering that we had just come from a higher end restaurant with no service but almost triple the price tag!



We were really too full at this point but we finished the entire combo nonetheless. For under $30 and full bellies, we would love to visit La Casita again, perhaps to watch UFC? I was told that there was a larger group area downstairs, with karaoke and televisions!!

La Casita

101 Cordova Street [map]

Vancouver, BC

Phone: 604-646-2444


...I forgot to note that the bill came with a unique touch: the double bubble gums! haha! To freshen the breath, and for an after-dinner comic. :)

Review: Kitanoya Guu with Otokamae

I am biased. I love Guu. Especially Kitanoya Guu with Otokamae in Gastown. I love almost everything on the menu - Salmon with seven friends, Ebi Mayo, Miso Black Cod, Yakiudon, Takoyaki, Brie Cheese, Okonomi-yaki, Kimchi Bibimbap. I love it all!

So it was more of a treat-yourself-out dinner than a "review" dinner that we had on Saturday. Unfortunately, we'd had a late lunch at Banana Leaf earlier that day, and were meeting some friends in Gastown for some pubbing later, so we ate a little lighter.



Izakaya is traditionally a drinking hole that also serves small dishes and tapas, targeted towards the busy businessmen or for more casual get togethers. It is only more recently that the izakaya has grown in size, and included a greater variety of foods.

Within the last eight years, you can say that Vancouver has had an "izakaya explosion" of sorts. From from the chain izakaya around downtown and Richmond to the yakitori-ya along Denman and Robson, the Gastown Guu location is still one of my favourites.



While some may argue that the constant yelling of orders between waiters and kitchen staff and bar staff is disruptive, some may also say that it adds to the unique ambience that izakayas offers.

Personally, it depends on the day. But I imagine that since izakayas have grown in square footage over time, modern-day izakayas are taking that traditional approach and just keeping it casual. I can tell you from experience in the restaurant kitchens that Guu is probably just a touch louder than your average kitchen, and the waiters here are a helluva lot nicer than the kitchen staff at other establishments.



On our visit last Saturday, we were delighted to find that pitchers of their Jump cocktails were on special, and so we ordered an ebi mayo, tai carpaccio salad, and halibut karaage to begin with. As usual, we enjoyed the tender, succulent prawns enveloped in crisp, hot batter so much, that we ordered another ebi mayo, plus a yakiudon. It was fantastic.

Again, I want to do a dinner here in March. I remember the set menu dinner I tried last summer was great value and a good variety of food.



Guu...means Guuuu'd!!


Kitanoya Guu with Otokamae

375 Water Street #105 [map]

Vancouver, BC

Tel: 604 685-8682

Foodie Blogger Meme

It's May!!! Time for a foodie Meme.

What is your favorite meal to prepare?

Depends on the mood, really. I made a really great anchovy-garlic-balsamic dressing at M's house a couple days ago. Last night I attempted to make pisalladerie last night, but all I had were sweet and red onions (and not enough, at that). I'll probably make it sometime this weekend in an attempt to carb up for the Marathon. I guess right now I like fresh, simple things?

Is there a food that you indulge in when you know you shouldn't?

Cheese. I buy cheese when I know I shouldn't - be it too rich, be it that I have some at home already (but not this particular type!), be it that I am training for an event and need to cut down on the fat. I always end up eating it in limited amounts, until it molds. Then I cut off the mold and snack a little. Then it molds again and I process continues until I splurge on another hunk of delicious, exotic cheese.

What food always reminds you home?

I suppose I should answer this in a couple months. But my mother actually doesn't cook as much. She buys a lot of "butchers goodies", which includes roast pork, bbq pork, roast duck, and vegetarian / gluten food. I suppose that steamed eggs with duck or salted yolks in it, or vermicelli with gingered baby choys (bok choy or gai choy) reminds me of something so simple, so real as home.

What's the perfect snack?

Fresh veg or lightly blanched vegetables - where you can *taste* the essence of the food, without the adulteration of sauces, dips, or other masking agents. Mmmm. I have cherry tomatoes in the fridge for my morning break today.

What was your most memorable meal?

There are so many. I had a really romantic meal with M earlier this year, at Chambar. I can still remember what the perfectly seared sablefish tasted like when M fed me over the table, and the playful flavours of the passionfruit sundae, especially when I mixed it with the (REAL!) chocolate from M's apple dessert. *insert Homer Simpson drool here* Another memorable meal, was Christmas dinner from three years ago. Everyone put aside their differences, and the food was plentiful and delicious. All the cousins were together, we all joked around, and people enjoyed themselves. Mains were prime rib and ham. Someone brought a whole suckling pig. And of course, I made lots of appetizers, sides and hor d'oevres. Loved it.

When you are out at a restaurant or bar, what's your drink of choice?

At a restaurant, a nice glass of wine to go with my meal. At a bar, I just have to start off on jager-bombs. When I feel buzzed enough from that, then its on to long island iced teas.

What's your favorite restaurant and what do you order there?

I have to pick one??! The world is so boring when you only have one.

What three things are always in your refrigerator?

Milk, butter, eggs.

Do you have a comfort food?

Pasta. Pasta with ham in soup, pasta with pesto. Pasta with tomato rose sauce, pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce.

What are you having for dinner tonight?

We're going to the Gastown Mavi launch party tonight. Later we'll be going down the street to Guu Otokomae for some ebi mayo, salmon and seven friends, black cod steak, kimchi rice bowl, and other delicious, mouth watering appys. Can`t wait!!!