Eating and cooking for 1 person. Myself.

I have lived in Vancouver since 2007 after moving out from Calgary for University. Now that I have graduated and am working, I am now free to dine out and cook more foods that I enjoy. I want to share my experiences with you! Contact: [email protected]

[dinner4onevancouver]

Kulinarya Filipino Eatery

This time, we visited a Filipino restaurant in Coquitlam. My friends heard of this restaurant and one of them have been to this eatery in the past, as it is fairly close to their church.

The restaurant seemed to be family ran and you can feel that friendship between the staff the moment you enter. The staff is friendly but seemed a little disorganized at the front of the house and had to ask for water refills. Although, we had to ask for some things, they were quick to fulfill the request. The location itself is quite small so I would recommend making reservations. 

We ordered three dishes to share.

Inihaw Na Pusit (Grilled squid stuffed with tomato and onion) was delicious. The squid was fresh and tender which contrasted the cold salsa. The seasoning was very minimal which I believe highlighted the fresh ingredients used to create this dish.

Kaldereta (Beef and potato stew in spicy tomato sauce). Again, this dish used very fresh ingredients from the melt in your mouth beef to the bell peppers. However, I felt this dish lacked overall seasoning and did not have any hint of acidity, which I would have expected from having a form of tomatoes used in the dish.

Crispy Pata (Deep fried pork leg with vinegar). This dish was definitely a winner as well. The pork was cut close to the bone and left in large moist pieces. The skin was deep fried to a nice crisp.  

What I do not have a picture of is the garlic rice and it was an amazing side dish. I am not sure how I have never heard of such a thing but definitely order it if you are a garlic lover. 

I would definitely return because the food was fresh and quite good (minus the beef and potato stew). I would choose this restaurant if I needed to try something different with a friend in North Burnaby/Coquitlam and Hapag Ihaw-Ihaw if I were meeting with friends in Vancouver.

[dinner4onevancouver]

Ramen Gojiro

A week ago, I stumbled across a news article about Ramen Gojiro, and it happens to be about a 15 minute walk away from my workplace. Unfortunately, I had a meeting come up that prevented me from going to this restaurant with some colleagues but I was able to go with a few other colleagues at a later date.

On a Friday, we arrived at approximately 12:15PM so we had to wait in line. We waited for about 20 minutes before getting a table, which was expected for a ramen joint that has been gaining a buzz.

After sitting, we quickly ordered our meals, and I ordered the Basic Karaage. This ramen features two large pieces of chicken karaage and a mountain bean sprouts on top of ramen noodles.

Let’s start with the positives of the dish. The chicken karaage was flavored very well and marinated for quite a long time. It was also moist and fresh. The garlic on top was an excellent condiment to the dish because they prepared it so the flavor is highlighted without it being too harsh on the palate (e.g. raw garlic). The flavor of the broth had a strong pork flavor and was full-bodied. The portion size was very large and they give you a large amount of noodles that will definitely fill you up.

Unfortunately, although the noodles were quite good, I prefer my ramen noodles that have a bit of chewiness, similar to Kintaro’s. These noodles are probably best compared to to shanghai noodles so it lacked the chewiness and quite thick. Although the broth was good, I had to give up eating because of the accumulation of salt in my mouth. The high fat-amount in the broth retains in your mouth as you eat so the salt in the broth continues to pill on itself, so I found it quite overwhelming and stopped eating half-way through. You can also tell that the broth is definitely not good for your health because it was not strained so there were minced pork fat floating throughout the broth. Lastly, the garlic was a highlight but it was also a downside because your breath will smell like garlic for days.

I enjoyed visiting this location and trying their ramen but I don’t think I would return given the cons that I have listed above. This restaurant is still new so they could still be refining their ramen a little more, but it was a little overrated given how much hype they have been getting.

[dinner4onevancouver]

So Crab So Good

My friend messaged me telling me about this place and after doing a quick search, this asian-owned boil on Hastings caught my attention as a must-try. 

We ordered the seafood feast with crab and paid an additional cost for the pasta, because why not. When the crab boil was cooked, the waiter came over and dumped the pot of seafood over the table and placed the bucket on the side for empty shells. A wooden board, mallet (for the crab), and disposable gloves were also provided. 

The seafood was very fresh and the flavor was mild. the seafood that was included was shrimp, mussels, and squid.The sausage, corn, and potatoes were a nice addition. I wish they provided a mallet-alternative because it was a little embarrassing and loud using the mallet to crack the crab shell. I would also skip on the pasta, which was also an additional cost to the per-person fee for the seafood feast.

Overall I did enjoy it and if you want to try something different then I would recommend this place. However, if given the choice between this and hotpot, I would choose hotpot since it was also around the same cost.

[dinner4onevancouver]

Broken Rice and Glenburn Soda Fountain & Confectionery

The first meal that our supper club has gathered since the new year was at Broken Rice on Hastings. This was the first time I’ve been to this restaurant and reading their menu online made me really excited to try it out. They had a number of dishes that I don’t often find on other restaurant menus, where there is a variety of Bun and Pho dishes.

This is the first time that I saw Banh Xeo in a Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver so I had to order it. The only times I have had it was in Las Vegas and in L.A. 

The Banh Xeo arrived and it was quite large. The outside was crisp and a little dense becauese of the large amount of mung beans that they added. Inside was filled primarily with bean sprouts and pork/shrimp sparsely mixed throughout. It also came with a variety of fresh herbs and pickled vegetables to wrap with. This is definitely two meals worth of food so I highly recommend sharing it with another! Compared to the one I had in L.A. on Bolsa Ave., it is alright, but I’m glad to know there is a restaurant that I can return to if I crave it.

After dinner, we made sure to leave Broken Rice so we could make it to Glenburn Soda Fountain and Confectionery next door before closing. We were luckily able to secure a bench and a table inside the small dessert shop. I ordered a simple chocolate milkshake. I really enjoyed the milkshake because you could taste the chocolate and the drink wasn’t very sweet. It made it a lot easier to drink. I would definitely return because of the store’s appeal and the fact that the milkshake was delicious. I’ll make sure that I do not eat too much before hand because the milkshake is quite filling!

[dinner4onevancouver]

Toe Dam Korean Fusion BBQ

Just before the winter holidays, I met up with a previous co-worker and we decided to have Korean BBQ. I read about this place on Zomato and thought I’d give it a try, rather than defaulting to Insadong. 

The restaurant is quite small so make sure you arrive early, otherwise you will be waiting a while. If there are no tables available, there is a hanging board for you to write your name and the size of your party. Although the restaurant is small, it is sectioned into booths so you have some privacy. My friend and I were placed in the next available booth where it could easily seat a group of 6+!

We ordered Grilled Mackerel (appetizer), Pork Belly, and Marinated Beef with Vegetables.

The grilled mackerel was fresh and was quite large. I didn’t mind it but, it felt like it was missing an accompaniment. To me, it was odd that it wasn’t served with anything else. 

The pork belly and beef came quickly with side dishes, lettuce, and condiments (soy bean paste, garlic, jalapenos, and sesame oil). There isn’t too much to say other than the meats were fresh and delicious. Ordering two entrees to grill, was more than enough food for the two of us. My only complaint was the “with vegetables” part of the beef. There was a single mushroom, two slices of squash, and onion. As much as I welcome more meat, if you’re going to advertise with vegetables, then include more!

[dinner4onevancouver]

Kimchi

Hi folks,

A few months ago, it was the time of year where H-Mart stocks up on cabbage for kimchi!

I have been following Maangchi’s traditional kimchi recipe (here) and doubled it. I was able to luckily fit all of the kimchi into my large container made for fermenting. The only part that I do not follow from her recipe is the salting process. I like to dip the cabbage halves in course-salt water, sprinkle with course salt between the leaves, and let the cabbage sit int he salted water for 6-8 hours until the leaves can fold back on itself without breaking.

[dinner4onevancouver]

Joyeaux Café & Restaurant

After wandering around downtown after visiting the Nespresso bar at The Bay, we wanted to have Vietnamese food. Joyeaux is one of the only Vietnamese restaurants in downtown that is open during the weekends. Not sure what I expected from this type of restaurant in downtown Vancouver but I wanted to give it a try since a co-worker pointed it out when we were discussing nearby restaurants.

I believe I had the grilled pork w/ spring roll w/ vermicelli. The spring roll had a nice crisp to it but the filling was slightly bland; the grilled pork had good flavor; and the nuoc mam was watered down. 

Overall, I probably wouldn’t return. I think there are many other restaurant options to go to in downtown like Japanese Ramen or Korean that would cost about the same.

[dinner4onevancouver]

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar

I visited here on a weekend many months ago because a few friends were in town and we wanted to have a light morning breakfast. 

The waffle was light and crisp and the fruit was also fresh. Nothing much to say other than a solid waffle.

[dinner4onevancouver]

Les Faux Bourgeois

I followed up with a previous co-worker who I don’t see very often, maybe once every few months. I let her decide, and she chose Les Faux Bourgeois. The seating is slightly awkward, but it makes sense given they want to maximize the number of seats in the small dining space. Although we had a early dinner reservation, the two options we could have chosen were non-optimal for photos... near the back.

The first dish I ordered as an appetizer was the escargot. We were both surprised to see the escargot served in this manner rather than in the traditional snail dish. Visually, it was lacking. We tried the escargot, and it was fairly bland. The snails were plump and tender, but the garlic was so minimal that it felt like you were just drinking butter.I also didn’t see any parsley as described on their menu.

My main dish was the duck confit on a warm salad. Compared to the appetizer, I thoroughly enjoyed the entree. The salad arugula was warm, not wilted, the potatoes were crisp, and the duck was fall off the bone. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the au jus because all I could think about was the warm crispy potatoes and the duck.

Overall, the experience was pretty good: the waiter was really nice and checked on us frequently; the entree was delicious; and the restaurant had a casual atmosphere. The only negative point was the appetizer, which could be avoided the next time I visit. 

[dinner4onevancouver]

La Quercia

A friend reached out and mentioned that she has heard this restaurant is her brother-in-law’s favorite restaurant. After a quick search, I was intrigued by the reviews and also their menu. I never turn an invitation down to go somewhere a little more expensive every now and then!

We both ordered their 6-course tasting (6 shared dishes) that was $60/pp. I was excited because they ask for food allergies up front so they can tailor their sauces, etc. to the table’s needs. I am not going to remember the name of each dish so please bare with me as I describe my overall feelings of each dish.

Complimentary bread: Nothing wrong here. The bread was soft with a crisp crust.

The first appetizer was bresaola, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and arugula grown by the restaurant. It is a classic combination because each flavour complements each other without needing anything more. This dish brought back a lot of memories as I used to make grilled cheese sandwiches filled with these ingredients when I was on exchange in Italy. 

Qual with sausage and what I call saute bread stuffing. This dish was delicious! It was moist and the flavors reminded me of a thanksgiving dinner. 

Smoked salmon with a fennel salad and anchovy dressing. I liked this dish because it helped cleanse the palette since the previous dish was very savoury. I enjoyed the crunchiness of the fennel with the soft delicate pieces of salmon.

Gnocchi with bolognese sauce. Unfortunately, this first pasta dish was a flop. The gnocchi in my opinion had too much flour so they were gummy and the sauce tasted like beef and tomato. I wanted the sauce to have more flavor but I really tried to eat more slowly to double check.  

Home-made pappardelle with chicken liver sauce. Once again, the pasta fell a little short as the pappardelle was cooked through but it was tough similar to undercooked dry pasta where there is too much bite to it. The chicken liver sauce was amazing because it didn’t have a strong smell and the liver taste was evident without it being too overwhelming. 

Duck with carrot puree and green chutney on top of farro and fava beans. The farro and fava beans were good but the highlight was the perfectly cooked duck and the two sauces. The duck was tender and the skin glistened as it was well crisped. The only problem with the duck was the that each piece of duck had sinew on the bottom of the breast so it was not easy to cut into bite-sized pieces. We made an awkward saw-like motions with our knives while trying to keep a conversation.

Lemon cream with citrus. This dessert was a perfect end to a meal. The cream was slightly stiff and was melt in your mouth delicious. The lemon flavor had no bitter or sourness and the fresh grapefruit helped lighten the dish. 

Overall, the six course meal was pretty good although there some technical issues that I have already described. Although the portions seem small, the amount of food was enough for an adult-sized meal. One of the La Quercia’s selling points is that their six course meal changes daily so it’s very rare that you would be served the same set of courses, presumably to highlight the freshest ingredients of the day. I think it’s great that restaurant’s have a rotating menu to highlight seasonal and daily ingredients, but it does come at a cost. The total of the night, including water and a peach and soda beverage, costed approximately $70 including tax and before tip. 

[dinner4onevancouver]

Bibim Guksu/Naengmyun

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted a recipe.

Today, I will be posting about a recipe that is delicious during days where you need to cool down. This noodle dish is enjoyed cold and can be served hot or cold and made easily for large groups.

The recipes are pretty much the same everywhere online so I will be posting the URLs to the recipes that I used to make my version of bibim naengmyun.

For the sauce, I used the recipe found here: http://www.kimchimom.com/2012/06/bibim-naeng-myun-korean-spicy-cold-noodles-sundaysupper/. I used the cheapest round roast because it can be simmered without getting overly dry. I also used my magic bullet to blend all the sauce ingredients together to form a smooth sauce. This is completely optional, but I did not want to bite into pieces of raw onion or garlic. I also added a little more red pepper powder to taste. I just want to note that this dish has an acquired taste, the sauce is supposed to be tangy (vinegar) and spicy; I find the vinegar helps keeps the dish light and refreshing.

Traditionally, I this dish is often made with buckwheat noodles, however, I used wheat noodles rather than buckwheat noodles. Buckwheat noodles adds nutty flavor to the dish but it can be quite hard to digest. The dish is also served with asian pear and an egg; I unfortunately did not have pears in my fridge when I made this recipe this time and I am allergic to eggs. The egg is said to be eaten first because it coats your stomach from the harshness of the buckwheat noodles!

Regarding the cucumbers, I followed aeriskitchen’s quick pickled cucumber recipe that can be found here: http://aeriskitchen.com/2010/10/spicy-cold-buckwheat-noodles/

If you’re out and about enjoying the weather, you can make the beef, toppings, and sauce in advance and store it in the fridge for several days. Personally, I think the sauce tastes better the next day because the flavor of the red pepper powder is much better after it has been hydrated. Summer is definitely here in Vancouver. Enjoy!

[dinner4onevancouver]

Campagnolo Roma Restaurant

The friend who I have been eating hotpot with for over the past year every time we met up, did not want hotpot! She asked to meet at Campagnolo Roma (Hastings) because she has never been and neither have I. I also liked this location because it is a middle point between our workplaces. I was also excited to go to Campagnolo Roma because I’ve heard a lot of positive comments by coworkers who have been to their other location.

We had an early dinner, meeting at 5:30PM so it was completely empty when we arrived.

Just as an FYI, we were sat far away from a window so I had very little light to take my photos. They only have windows at the front of the restaurant facing the street. The photos are not going to be pretty. 

We started with the Warm Ricotta antipasta. The bread was fresh, crisp, and warm. The ricotta was light, smooth, and was loaded with a lot of lemon. As enjoyable refreshing as it was, considering it was a bread dish, I would have liked less lemon because it somewhat overpowered the ricotta.

For the next dish, we ordered the potato gnocchi. I’m just going to throw this out there but is it not redundant to have the word potato in the name of the dish? 

Their gnocchi recipe is spot on. Light, not dense, and not gummy. When I saw the description of the dish, I didn’t expect the salmon to be pureed for textural contrast reason. Don’t get me wrong, the flavor was there, it was just unexpected. The execution of the dish was good but for a $22 dish, I would have expected the whole dish to leave an imprint in my memory. After taking a few bites, it really reminded me of a baked potato with sour cream and toppings.

Last up was the Pizza Diavola. The pizza was delicious because the dough: crisp crust and bottom; thin crust; had that slight chewy texture. The toppings were pretty standard. 

The service was really good but because we were there for an hour and a half and there was a line forming they hinted that they would like us to leave or to hurry up. 

If I were to come back, I would come back for their pizza. Maybe because I don’t go to many Italian restaurants in Vancouver, I haven’t had too many good pizzas but this is definitely one of them that I will remember for next time when I have a friend visiting or just want to enjoy pizza with friends. 

[dinner4onevancouver]

Cazba Restaurant Review

Unfortunately, I could not attend a birthday lunch at Gingeri so I attended her second birthday dinner for those who could not make it at Cazba Restaurant nearby on Davie street. My friend has been here before and she enjoyed the food last time because apparently you get good quality and quantity of food for the price.

When we arrived around 5:30PM on a Wednesday evening, it was starting to pick up in business. Originally we wanted to arrive around 6:00PM but we didn’t want to wait for a table and they do not take reservations. Luckily, we work downtown so it was not a problem.

While waiting for our friend, we decided to order humus. The humus came with lots of pita, onion wrapped in syran wrap, and a large dish of humus topped with oil. The pita was pretty standard but the humus was delicious. The humus was thick but not too thick, rich, and had lots of garlic. I do love my garlic!

As a main course, my memory is horrible and even worse when it comes to non-english words. I believe I ordered the “Chelo Kabab Soltani” but was offered the option to replace the Barg Kebab with the Chenjeh Kebab. I also paid extra to have half rice and half salad (shirazi).

All the dishes came out very quickly after ordering. Most of the side dishes are most likely prepared in advance and does not take very long to assemble and grilling meats take no time at all. Don’t let the photo fool you, but these plates are huge. The two kebabs alone will fill you up, but I highly suggest getting a salad to eat in between the bites of meat. The Chenjeh kebab (the bottom kebab) was marinated very well but I personally thought it was slightly overcooked as it was a little chewy. The Koobideh kebab was incredibly moist and the texture was between a meatball and ground-beef tenderized with corn starch. However, compared to the other kebab, this one was bland with spices. I would have loved the Koobideh with the flavors of the Chenjeh. The salad was a bit bland for my taste, it tasted exactly what it looks like: onion, tomato, cucumber, and lemon. 

I believe with tax and tip, I paid approx $21.00 including the full cost of the hummus. The waitress we had was amazing, especially since some of the other table guests can be a bit much. They just like to ask a lot of questions. The waitress handled them like a pro and was incredibly patient while answering their questions (what she recommends, which dish people like more, what dish she thinks they would like, etc.). 

Would I return? Yes, if I am looking for a cheap and grilled meal if I am around the area. 

[dinner4onevancouver]

Fisherman’s Terrace

My parents decided to randomly visit Vancouver for a weekend, and by random I mean that they gave me less than a week’s notice. Luckily, I had zero plans and it was not an incredibly busy week at work that required some time over the weekend to catch up. My parents are not too picky about food but I want to make sure that I take them to good restaurants or are more likely to provide good food. For lunch, I decided to take them to Fisherman’s Terrace in Aberdeen Mall. 

I am incredibly happy that I made a reservation the evening before for a 10:30AM reservation. When we arrive at approximately 10:30, we were asked to wait 15 minutes. Others who did not make a reservation had a 30-40 minute wait. Take my advice and make a reservation, even if it is just the night before.

We ordered a number of dim sum dishes. For whatever reason, our family’s preference is to order more and take some home if there are leftovers than accidentally order not enough. 

We ordered chicken feet, beef in rice crepes, bbq pork puff pastry, sticky rice steamed in bamboo leaves, beef meat balls, and shrimp dumplings. I unfortunately do not have photos of the chicken feet and beef meat balls.

The shrimp dumplings were quite delicious because they were filled with large pieces of shrimp. However, depending on personal preference the skin can be seen as both good and bad: it’s thin but the skin had more chew than usual due to their ratio of flours. Personally, I did not mind it. The bbq pork puff pastry was warm, light, not overly dry and it was not overly sweet. I really enjoyed the sticky rice because I hardly have sticky rice cooked in bamboo leaves. It was definitely a nice treat. Because this meal was a little while ago, I don’t remember too much about the filling. The chicken feet was good and cooked perfectly in my opinion where the skin still had texture but was not mushy. The beef in rice crepes were just okay and I did not eat any of the beef meat balls.

I would come back again because my dim sum experiences at Fisherman’s Terrace have been very consistent: good/average food and never bad. It is a little more expensive than other restaurants but you also pay for what you get. The server was also pretty good considering how busy it was since they had waiters designated to specific areas of the restaurant you are not relying on a staff member randomly passing by your table. Our tea and water was filled within a reasonable time, it was easy to flag a staff member if needed, empty steam baskets were removed, and our plates were even replaced when the chicken feet bones started piling up. 

[dinner4onevancouver]

Vancouver Alpen Club

My previous co-workers and I like to go out for dinner once every few months just as a nice get together. We usually choose restaurant’s at random based on one of our recommendations. This time, we decided to go to the Vancouver Alpen Club since we went to the Old Bavaria Haus a while back.

Upon entering, it was a little awkward because there was no greeter and I saw staff members pass me several times and no one offered to help. I just know we had a reservation and wanted to ask someone where I should sit. After waiting for about 5 minutes, I luckily ran into a previous co-worker and his spouse where we just ended up going inside and looking around for our other friends.

After being greeted and brought drinks we decided to order. I skipped the appetizers because I had a feeling the portions were quite large. After the round of appetizers, which one was forgotten and another was incorrect, I was served my Hunter Style Schnitzel. I was right, the portion was huge. Two large pieces of schnitzel with generous servings of red cabbage and spaetzle that was light and had a pleasant noodle-like texture. The schnitzel was less greasy and a little more crisp in comparison to the Old Bavaria Haus. The pork tasted fresh and was not too dry. The mushroom gravy was okay but helped provide additional moisture to the entire dish.

Overall, the food was good and I would definitely return (with someone who has membership since it is a club). However, compared to the Old Bavaria Haus, the server was a little lacking. We had to frequently flag a staff member for water over the course of the night. 

[dinner4onevancouver]

Eating and cooking for 1 person. Myself, turned 1 today!

[dinner4onevancouver]

Tteokbokki

My friend messaged me that she was going to make tteokbokki and that somehow got me to want to have tteokbokki as well. H-Mart is awesome and am glad that I am able to get fresh rice cakes. 

I practically followed Maangchi's recipe here. Because am not going to eat a pound of rice cakes by myself, I reduced the ingredients accordingly to my serving and adjusted how much red pepper paste and sugar to my preference. I also use vietnamese fish cakes that are made locally on Victoria Drive instead of normal fish cakes because they are delicious and added sliced cabbage to make it a more wholesome dish. I added garlic chive for freshness and took out the eggs due to my allergy. This dish takes 10 minutes to cook as long as you have the kelp and anchovy broth prepared in advanced so it's perfect for a quick meal if you know you will need to make a quick meal during the week.