Robson Mongolian BBQ
1234 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC
Restaurant business is, in a way, survival of the fittest… Wait, that is not necessarily true. At times, it does not matter if the food is good or has good value; for the majority of the population, that plays a secondary role. In the case of an area like Robsonstrasse, it is what the public demands and not necessarily good food. A Cafe, a small HK-style cafe was a bit of an odd ball in the area, surrounded by restaurants that in a way are popular (sushi, tacos, Japanese store), cheap (donair/shawarma) or simply places to be seen (one too many to be listed). In fact, PO and I had a bet last time we went as to when (not why) they would fold and, despite we didn’t want that to happen, it closed in late summer. So, given the prime space, it was a matter of what would replace it. That “what” ended up being Robson Mongolian BBQ…
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Tagged as:
BBQ,
Downtown,
Lunch,
Vancouver
Town Hall
1032 Alberni Street
Vancouver, BC
In a couple of previous posts, I have mentioned the company I work for, like to “celebrate” the end of a project. Recently, I finish such a long project and, after a couple of delays, we were finally scheduled (as in any typical company, even work lunches are scheduled…!) Of course, being located in the downtown area, the usual question pops: Where? Since this is a work lunch, there are some limits – budget aside, make sure we are back at the office. It is a lunch, not the rest of the afternoon off! Of course, there is the usual question of where while making the most out of the trip. After shuffling some options, we ended up going to Town Hall, which used to be Saltlik
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Tagged as:
Downtown,
Lunch,
Seafood,
Vancouver
Arturo’s Mexico to Go
775 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC
Last week, in my Fresh Local Wild post, I made a comment saying Arturo’s Mexico to Go, specifically they should create a Twitter account to notify when they are open/closed. While that hasn’t been address as of the day of this post, I was advised Arturo’s is now back in business so, finally, I was able to drop by!
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Tagged as:
Downtown,
Food Cart,
Mexican,
Street Food,
Vancouver
Fresh Local Wild
795 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
Before I go to today’s post, an open message to the owners of Arturo’s Mexico to Go: You guys . I have been trying to go to the location listed in your site for last two weeks for lunch and, every single time, you are NOT there. From the grapevine, I have heard something happened to your truck. If that’s the case, c’mon guys, how difficult is to set up a Twitter account, linked from your site telling us if you are open or closed? *Shakes fist!!!!*
OK, back to today’s post. Given my work location in the West End, I have tried almost every single food cart so far, with the exception of Poke’m, which, as per their site, is currently upgrading their cart for the impending rainy Vancouver fall and the before mentioned Arturo’s Mexican to Go. Of course, there are still others but I haven’t visited yet, for example, PanDa Fresh Bakery, because they are slightly outside of my range for lunch on work days. Eventually… So, when I heard yet another food cart/truck – Fresh Local Wild – was about to open, I jumped at the opportunity to give it a try. Their call to fame? All our food is sustainable and responsibly harvested – Ocean Wise. To me, it is whether it taste good or not…
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Tagged as:
Downtown,
Seafood,
Street Food,
Vancouver
KFC
Hundred of locations around the world
1147 Davie Street 
Vancouver, BC
In the past, I made reference to things that we wish and long for just due to the fact it is at a somewhat arms reach but it is too troublesome to go and get it/them. Wait, what’s that again? OK, let me put a really simple example: When the original iPhone came, it wasn’t launched in Canada but people went to extreme to find unlocked versions in the US. In the case of food, Krispy Kreme was almost a commodity… Until a store was opened here. The list goes and goes. When KFC released their Double Down sandwich, aside from the hype it generated as being one of the most unhealthy sandwiches (there are worst), it was done as a US only item. But, thanks to some ingenuity, some people made their own version, including a Canadian version. In my case, living in Vancouver, with border crossing at a relatively short drive, it was a matter of if I *really* wanted to do it. For the most part the answer was no; until, that is, I was in the US for business trip and, well, why not, get not one but two of such sandwiches! You can check my post here.
Fast forward to the present: In a case of demand (or hype or success, which ever you think is true), KFC in Canada was to release this “sandwich” on October 18th and available until mid November. While I already had the “original” version down in the US, well, why not try the local version as well!
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Tagged as:
Chicken,
Downtown,
Fast Food,
Vancouver
Cartel Taco
1006 Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
So, here we go again, another week, more food carts… So far, out of all the places I have visited, the reactions have been mixed but I will have to give some credit: some of the stands have cranked out food better than what I have expected; though, alas, of them suffer from one flaw (though, I will give them additional credit and say it is not necessarily their own): cost. One of my pet peeves is that the price point of some of these places hit an odd spot and boils down to whether it is worth venturing out rather than go to an already establish brick-n-mortar type shop. Anyway, for the places I have blogged so far, here is my current ranking:
Today, my visit to Cartel Tacos, a food cart that certain “known” local writer would have love to have all over instead of the current offerings. Their goods sold? Tacos. And just tacos… Though with a “Korean twist” according to them. Given that Roaming Dragon’s offering was an epic fail to me, how better they would fare? And considering the current popularity of this Mexican dish, the question is how it would fare against the established ones…
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Tagged as:
Downtown,
Food Cart,
Mexican,
Vancouver
Satay King
1171 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC
On yesterday post, I made reference to “meat on a stick” and where pretty much all cultures have their own version. For today’s post, I went to another food cart that serves exactly that, Satay King. (The first food cart selling meat-on-a-stick being Chinese Skewer King) Of course, that brings the question… From what part of the world? In the case of Satay King, from Indonesia (or was it Malaysia? I got those mixed up when talking to them!). Since I was in CSK before, I think we can do some straight head to head comparison here!
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Tagged as:
Asian,
Downtown,
Food Cart,
Vancouver
KFC – Double Down in Canada
by KimHo on October 19, 2010 · 20 comments under: British Columbia,Comments,Food,Random
KFC
Hundred of locations around the world
1147 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC
In the past, I made reference to things that we wish and long for just due to the fact it is at a somewhat arms reach but it is too troublesome to go and get it/them. Wait, what’s that again? OK, let me put a really simple example: When the original iPhone came, it wasn’t launched in Canada but people went to extreme to find unlocked versions in the US. In the case of food, Krispy Kreme was almost a commodity… Until a store was opened here. The list goes and goes. When KFC released their Double Down sandwich, aside from the hype it generated as being one of the most unhealthy sandwiches (there are worst), it was done as a US only item. But, thanks to some ingenuity, some people made their own version, including a Canadian version. In my case, living in Vancouver, with border crossing at a relatively short drive, it was a matter of if I *really* wanted to do it. For the most part the answer was no; until, that is, I was in the US for business trip and, well, why not, get not one but two of such sandwiches! You can check my post here.
Fast forward to the present: In a case of demand (or hype or success, which ever you think is true), KFC in Canada was to release this “sandwich” on October 18th and available until mid November. While I already had the “original” version down in the US, well, why not try the local version as well!
Read more…!
Tagged as: Chicken, Downtown, Fast Food, Vancouver