Zawa (The Drive, Vancouver, BC)

Patios what good summers are stitched with!

Prior to this week of rainy weather, me and M headed out to The Drive on a sun-shiney weekday evening to take in some cocktails and grub. The intense heat of the office and the lack of motivation to cook brought us out to the patios of Commercial Drive...

While the popular spots like Havana, Memphis Blues, Fets, and The Reef were quite full, we went to the end of the Drive for some sunshine and serenity (as well as available free parking! :)



We decided on Zawa since it was close to where we were parked and the menu looked goof-proof: pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and pasta.

To start off, we ordered a bellini and fuzzy navel. The drinks were quite affordable, although we ordered bellinis the rest of the night - the fuzzy naval was extremely plain!



There were two waitresses on staff that night, plus the owner. The patio was quite busy, and the turn around was quick, considering people were lounging, chatting in groups, and enjoying the sun.

We did, however seem to get the one waitress that was completely disinterested in her job. She was unhelpful with suggestions and slightly aloof. One could say that she didn't like her job, or that she lacked the personality for the job. Or, it just wasn't her day.

It took a while to flag her down to take our orders, and it was probably about five to ten minutes after I placed my order that I noticed that she didn't ask me what type of bun I wanted my sandwich on, nor did she ask me what type of side I wanted.



I ordered the Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich and I wound up with a chicken sandwich on a wheat Kaiser roll (I wanted ciabatta) with caesar salad (I had wanted fries - possibly yam fries, if they had them). The chicken sandwich was a touch dry, but it had the right toppings - cheddar, bacon and guacamole. The caesar salad was good - you could taste the salty parmesan and anchovy, but the Kaiser roll was not the right fit for the sandwich. When we got our food I was just starving so I just ate.



M ordered the seafood fettucine, which came with shrimp, prawns, and clams in a cream sauce. I could detect some MSG in the sauce but overall, it was quite good for the price - there was a lot of seafood in his dish!

With reasonable value and options like "build your own burger / sandwich", I'm sure I'd eat at Zawa again. However, the service was quite lacking. Hopefully next time I can luck out and get the right waitress!

Zawa

920 Commercial Drive [map]

Vancouver, BC

Phone: 604-255-0470

Review: Cactus Club (Bentall 5, Downtown Vancouver, BC)

Met up with some old high school friends for cocktails and catching up last weekend.

There was too much booze!



That being said, I also apologize for the quality of the photos. I *swear* they looked focused and beautiful that night!

The first time I tried to go to the "new" Cactus Club on Burrard and Pender, we got there too late after a comedy show at Yuk Yuk's and we ended up going somewhere else. What a pity, we thought - it had such a good location, with a nice large patio!

So on the night in question, we decided on either Joey's or Cactus - neither takes reservations on Saturday nights, so it was first come, first served.

The location was great - near skytrain and in the heart of downtown, with a mindset for attracting customers from the business area during the weekdays, and the party crowd on weekends. The plus was the large patio - it was set off from the street, so it wasn't dusty or noisy at all!

We ordered a round of appetizers, some entrees to share, and a couple rounds of drinks.

I started out with the tuna tataki - sadly, Cactus discontinued their tuna poke half a year ago - that was my favourite dish!!! While the tuna tataki was pretty to look at and delicious (after you drained / squeezed it of soy), it was no substitute for the tuna poke. Bring back the tuna poke!!



I took the next photo to demonstrate just how much soy was left over after finishing the dish. There was too much of it for my liking. bleeh.



The photo at the beginning of the post is the trio of westcoast pockets. I've always wanted to try these, M ordered them - he said they were delicious and I have to agree! A touch on the expensive side though - the three pockets were about $12. For that price, I think they were a little stingey.



Above: We also shared a plate of calamari. 'Twas good. You can't go wrong with calamari! I downed my appys with some margaritas, as they were on special on Saturday night.

...K also enjoyed some margaritas with me. I'm sure the lime margarita went well with his beef carpaccio?



Meanwhile, the other K had the spicy chicken with sweet chili sauce. After a couple rounds of drinks, M had a burger, K & S shared a quesadilla, and the other K had the sablefish. Chef Feenie always adds his magical touch to everything - everyone finished their food!

We even shared two desserts - the cheesecake, and a chocolate peanut butter bar. I *loved* the choco pb bar. I'm going to have to try making it at home. *stay tuned*

In all, it was a nice night - the weather was cooperative and it was a great night to sit and lounge on the patio. Even if we did drink too much and not remember much. ;) Here's to summertime...



Cactus Club Cafe (Bentall 5)

588 Burrard Street [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-682-0933