Posts tagged as:

Chain Restaurant

Battle of Breakfast Sandwiches – Part 2: Tim Hortons vs. McDonald’s

by KimHo on February 9, 2011 · 14 comments under: Food,Random,Restaurant

A bit over a year ago, when Tim Horton’s announced their English muffins, I jumped into the opportunity of comparing their sandwich against McDonald’s. In a funny reversal on things that have happened, recently, McDonald’s announced the return of my once-upon-a-time favourite: their buttermilk biscuits (OK, not really, more details in a moment). So, now that McD’s are back into this game, why not a second heads up battle? And, repeating what I wrote on that post over a year ago… (And borrowing that line from Iron Chef:) Whose cuisine reigns supreme?

Tim Hortons, McDonald's, Breakfast sandwich, biscuit, buttermilk, muffin, biscuit, sausage, egg, bacon, folded egg, bagel, danish, donut, hash, brown, potato

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Tagged as: Breakfast, Chain Restaurant, Sandwich

Culina at the Muttart

by KimHo on February 2, 2011 · 1 comment under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

Culina
6509 112 Avenue (Culina Highlands)
9914 89 Avenue (Culina Mill Creek)
9626 96A Street Northwest (Culina at the Muttart – Muttart conservatory, location visited) Culina at the Muttart on Urbanspoon
Edmonton, AB

Before my trip to Edmonton, I checked with several people who lived there as well as natives for points of interests. Me being “me”, there were some usual “caveats”, one of them, for god’s sake, please, do NOT tell me West Edmonton Mall (WEM)! (And, yes, I indeed went there and, due to bad timing, I could skate in the rink at the Ice Palace). But, once they knew what I was looking for, i.e., walkable areas (with the warning Edmonton is not as walkable as Vancouver), something outdoors (yes, again, call me crazy…) and things that, because you are “local”, you tend to overlook it. One of such places ended up being the Muttart Conservatory. But, in addition to the flowers and plants, I knew there was a new location of Culina, a restaurant that seems to be well regarded. So, that’s how Dumbfries and I ended up having a brunch there.

Culina, Family, Restaurant, Highlands, Mill, Creek, Muttart, Conservatory, breakfast, lunch, brunch, salmon, croissant, egg, salad, fruit, salad, mascarpone, vanilla, yogurt, pea, split, soup, smoked, bacon, egg, scrambled, potato, hash, spices

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of how Culina looks from the inside...


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Tagged as: Brunch, Chain Restaurant, Edmonton, Lunch, Sandwich

White Spot Pirate Pack Day

by KimHo on August 20, 2010 · 3 comments under: British Columbia,Food,Photo Essay,Restaurant

White Spot
Several locations in Canada
1616 West Georgia Street (Location visited)
Vancouver, BC
White Spot on Urbanspoon

A quick reminder of my background: I wasn’t raised in Canada and, as a result, there are a lot of things “Canadian” I didn’t grow up with. One of those things was White Spot’s Pirate Pack (and come to think about it, I didn’t even grow up having Happy Meals). So, when White Spot sent an email (*) to some of us food bloggers about this event, I was enthusiastic. Hey, why not! (After all, it is for a good cause!). So, on that day, I decided to drop by to “experience” it.

(*) As a personal decision, I do not participate in such promotions or events. If I choose to go to a restaurant, it will be on my own.

Now, this post is a bit different compared to the other post – it is more of a photo essay. How come? Because, well, I have been to White Spot previously and, in this case, things weren’t that different. After all, it is a chain!

White Spot, Vancouver, BC, Pirate Pack, fries, burger, Legendary, ice cream, cole slaw

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Tagged as: Burgers, Chain Restaurant, Vancouver

Montana’s Cookhouse

by KimHo on July 20, 2010 · 6 comments under: British Columbia,Food,Restaurant

Montana’s Cookhouse
Several locations across Canada
1046 – 2929 Barnet Highway (location visited)
Coquitlam, BC
Montana's Cookhouse (Coquitlam Centre) on Urbanspoon

After that hike in Diez Vistas, DVP couldn’t join me for dinner as she had to attend something unexpected. Alas, me “stranded” in the middle of nowhere and starting to get hungry (despite eating several handfuls of cashews before the last portion of the trail). So, while driving out of Buntzen Lake, I chose to drive through Coquitlam Centre rather than the “easier” route of Port Moody. Why? I have absolutely no idea… Could it be because I came driving that way? When I hit that mall, I remembered there was a Montana’s Cookhouse, as well as Chada Thai, I chose the former for one reason: Meat! I mean, I was darn hungry and all I could think of was meat… NOW!!!

Montana's Cookhouse, Vancouver, Coquitlam, BBQ, meat, ribs

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Tagged as: BBQ, Beef, Chain Restaurant, Chicken, Coquitlam

BJs Brewhouse and Restaurant

by KimHo on June 21, 2010 · 11 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

BJs Brewhouse and Restaurant
Several locations in the US
1159 Southcenter Mall (Location visited)
Seattle, WA
Bj's Brewhouse on Urbanspoon

(WARNING: This post is equivalent to NC-17. Proceed at YOUR OWN RISK!!!!)

Yesterday, I mentioned about fast food chains trying to outdo each other. But, do we food bloggers try to outdo each other as well? I have the hunch that some food bloggers try to avoid interaction with others; however, those who stick together, well, some friendly rivalry can’t be denied. After Sherman went to Zakkushi and got a bukkake… soba, that is, I was wondering if I could out do that post. So, when I was in Seattle/Tukwila, I thought I could go for a BJ… Burger, in BJs Brewery, that is…

BJs Restaurant, Brewhouse, Seattle, Tukwila, Westfield

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Tagged as: Chain Restaurant, Chicken, Pork, Seattle

KFC Double Down

by KimHo on June 20, 2010 · 11 comments under: Food,Restaurant,Travel

KFC
Hundred of locations in the world
15036 Tukwila International Blvd (Location visited) KFC (Riverton Heights) on Urbanspoon
Seattle, WA

One thing nobody can deny is that fast food restaurants have been given a really bad reputation. Do they deserve it? For the most part, yes but, at the same time, it fills a niche… OK, let me try again… For the most part, yes but, at the same time, there is a group that wants/demands their goods. It does not necessarily help when eating at these places are cheaper than cooking a meal at home… And then, we have each of these companies trying to outdo each other, every time offering an even “worst” rendition of one of their dishes. Triple baconator anybody???

Now that obesity is at his height, I am not sure why companies try to compete amongst themselves and, instead, not combat the issue of obesity. I know of people who are fighting an uphill battle and I really admire the fact they have acknowledged it plus the fact they are doing something about it rather than sitting around it. And that brings the topic of today’s post…

In that out-do each other quest, a couple of months ago, KFC unveiled their Double Down sandwich “a sandwich so big they didn’t have space for a bun”. In a nutshell, it is two pieces of grilled or fried chicken breast serving as bun and some cheese/bacon in the middle. While calories-wise isn’t worst than some offerings in the market, from a nutritional perspective, the killer part is their sodium content: one of these sandwiches easily contain the max suggested intake for a whole day!

From a health perspective, I won’t have ordered it myself; however, from a food blogger’s perspective, I knew I should give it a try… But, since it was an US only item, plus the fact I haven’t had a business trip for a while, meant my only chance to eat this was to go down the US. Of course, I could do what Chris did when he created the Canadian, eh? version of it. But, but… Suddenly, I was on my way to the US for my current work project and, huahahahahaha! Double Down!!!!

KFC, Kentucky, Fried, Chicken, Taco Bell

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Tagged as: Chain Restaurant, Chicken, Fast Food, Sandwich

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

by KimHo on May 21, 2010 · 20 comments under: British Columbia,Food,Restaurant

Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Park Royal Shopping Centre (South side)
2002 Park Royal South
West Vancouver, BC
Five Guys Burgers & Fries on Urbanspoon

To those who can only speak English, let me tell you: English is an odd language and can be twisted in really odd ways. From being a language where there are more exceptions than rules, to things times where spelling makes no sense (read vs read, in its present vs past tense), pronunciation isn’t straight forwards (tomato vs tomato) and where you can create words overnight, like malamanteau (and the hilarity it ensued afterwards). However, that does not mean I can’t use it in its own odd ways as well. A week or so ago, I wrote a tweet on the lines of (which I have deleted since):

“Getting messy with Five Guys”

Of course, I initially meant “Having a mess in Five Guys”, though, I knew that typing it differently would have raised a lot of eyebrows. But, then again, a lot of people don’t know/want to remember/are aware that “mess” can also refer to a meal, plus the fact that Five Guys was capitalized should have given a hint I was referring to something else, as in Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Of course, at times, being politically correct detracts from some jokes… Anyway, back to the restaurant and food theme, my visit to Five Guys Burgers and Fries…

Five Guys Burgers and Fries, West Vancouver

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Tagged as: Burgers, Chain Restaurant, West Vancouver

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