Ebi-Ten
4500 Kingsway
388 Robson Street (Location visited)
Vancouver, BC
I seldom snack and, if I do, it tends to be either fruits I can find in my fridge or some cashews/peanuts I have hanging around. Of course, I can do this if I am at home. When I am outside and hunger strikes, almost anything is fair game! However, given the variety of restaurants/ethnic supermarkets here in Vancouver, why would you try to settle for something you can get every other day, almost any time? So, in this case, I took a big detour and stopped by Ebi-Ten.
I just wanted to drop this quick post, courtesy of the amount of food related news I found yesterday. The first one is related to a restaurant in the US that really honour its name. And what is the name? The Heart Attack Grill… Check this video in YouTube.
What is “funnier” is that rather being worried about what is being served, they are more concerned about how the waitresses are “dressed”:
I think I will draw the line there… However, at least the owner is honest about what is being served.
On other news, earlier this month, Gigi of Ho Yummy wrote a post about a restaurant in the UK where you can pay the meal at your own discretion. It seems that concept has started to spread, according to this article. Well, that concept just arrived in Canada… Check here. In the case this link is blocked to Canadian IPs only, please check here.
Mediterranean Grill
1152 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC
In Vancouver, we have seen some cuisines/styles spread like wildfire. In the last two years or so, for example, we have seen several izakaya open: Kingyo, Toratatsu, Kakurenbo, et al, came along to challenge long time established Guu and then recently opened Zakkushi and Hapa Izakaya. A cuisine that has silently crept around Vancouver’s Downtown and West End is Lebanese/Middle Eastern. At one time, in the couple of blocks around English Bay, there were easily over 6 of these shops and, as mentioned in a previous post, Falafel King was my personal favourite. But, rather than blog about a place I have visited previously, instead, I chose to visit a place that went through renovations and recently re-opened.
Talk about creep, to the right is supposed to be Babylon Cafe location #3!
A month or so ago, monchichi of Not Another Big Menu wrote about Nando’s in the UK. I mentioned as a comment that my experience with Nando’s here in Vancouver was sub-par. That was over two years ago and I thought I should give it a try again.
Those of us who live in Vancouver know that the sushi is hit-or-miss. Once you find a place (or places) you like, you most likely stick with it. However, what if you can’t make to that place for a reason or another? For example, what if you want to meet for lunch with your friend(s) on a work-day? And what if this place is not a place you have been previously? You would, of course, look at sites like Urbanspoon, Yelp (though in this case, caveat emptor) or, in the case of Vancouver, dinehere.ca, for comments and opinions. But, what if these opinion are so wild, so all over the place? Aside from hoping for the best, that is… In a way, that’s what came to my mind after my friend TX and I agreed to meet in Oysi Oysi.
Finally, here is my post on Qoola, the yoghurt shop, if you can call it that way, in Denman Street. It has been blogged by at least 5 other bloggers since it has been open (check here, here, here, here and here) – all of them prior to their official open on Feb 14th. At this point, you might be wondering, do I have anything else to add? Yup, I have. And I will be straight to the point on this one: Unlike most others, I don’t understand what is the big deal about this place…
I have mentioned in several other places grain legumes are a personal favourite. I can’t think of a variety of it I won’t eat: Chickpeas, black-eye, lentils, kidney beans, peanuts, etc. etc. While I was living in Panama, it was something I could find easily in any restaurant, as it was a staple. Sometimes it might be cooked together (arroz con guandu – rice with pigeon pea) or cooked separately and served together (red kidney beans and rice). When I moved to Vancouver, thanks to the multi-cultural society, I could still find some of them in some restaurants, though not to the same extent as in Panama. So, in the end, I had to go back to basics and, well, cook them myself! Here is my interpretation of red kidney beans, which is usually served with rice but I like to eat them standalone…
