Brado Restaurant
1399 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Cake-Ya
2415 Clarke Street
Port Moody, BC

Last week, there were a couple of post featuring meals I had with people I have met while food blogging. For the most part, these were events I organized myself. But, in an interesting twist, how about something organized by another food blogger whom I haven’t met previously? Specifically, somebody who, currently, is not even here in Vancouver? It just happen that Phyllis of me Hungry! was in town (who happens to have lived here in Vancouver) and Jessica of Yumorama organized a mini-meeting of sorts, which, in the end, only Sherman and me showed up. Because of a poutine run she had last time she was here, the suggested place was, once again, another poutine place! And one I visited in the past… Brado Restaurant. But, that brings the question… How is Cake-Ya, a small dessert shop located in Port Moody has to do with Brado?! Read to find out more!

First, what we went for in Brado… In my previous visit to this restaurant, I had the wings and poutine. While it is also a pizza parlour, the ones under the lamp didn’t look appetizing at all. This time, we went for something that combine both. Yup, you read it correctly – Brado combines pizza with poutine. Let me try again…

I will have to say it was a touch of genius. After all, it shares a common ingredient: cheese. And, given that pizza uses a sauce, how about using gravy in lieu of it? Tastewise, it was aided by some “extras” added to the crust – these included some oil and what tasted like garlic. Might be wrong on that one but there was *something* in it that made it really savoury. However, what really failed in this concoction was, oddly, the fries. There wasn’t anything wrong with it; instead, it was the fact it was carb (from the pizza crust) + carb (from the fries). More of the same didn’t really work for me.

So, from a pizza perspective, the fact it was baked to order would certainly have an impact on the end result, specially compared to what I saw on the night I went there. So, if you would order the whole pie, well, it might be interesting. As a poutine pizza, unfortunately no… too much of the same type of ingredient detracted from the overall dish. That brings then the next question: how is the poutine by itself then? Well, on that always search for good eats, Sherman ordered a plate of poutine. Specifically…

Montreal smoked meat poutine. The smoked meat was in the form of shave pieces of the meat rather than chunks (as served in some other places). It was on the salty side but, oh, well, what do you expected from this type of meats…. One thing that was was noticed almost right away by Phyllis was the fact the gravy was on the darker side. It seems people likes them that way here, hence the tone. Finally, the texture of the curds. It started to melt away to the point we were wondering if it was mozzarella instead.

In the end, Brado can be a rough gem but the fact that you need to be here in a group (to have things made to order) detracts me from going back there by myself. However, the one thing that would certainly prevent me from doing so isn’t Brado itself but its neighbour who runs a Middle Eastern/shawarma place. We were there around 3:00 p.m. and, while there were customers, he was cleaning his area with industrial strength bleach. How the !@#!@#$ you can do that when customers are there eating? It is literally shooting himself on the food (either than or he was trying to piss of Brado…). >_<

And now, the reason this post also contains Cake-Ya…

Given that Phyllis had only that much time here, I thought I should try to find something unique, something that she won’t have quick access of during her short visit to Vancouver. Given that Sherman recently wrote about this Japanese dessert place in Port Moody, I thought, hey, why not! So, I went to Cake-Ya and grabbed some goodies including…

Shortbread, regular and matcha

Matcha roll

Creme caramel, different versions

Just in case for shokutsu, sorry, they didn’t have daifuku ready yet eathat day… >_<

Now, they actually didn’t have the matcha roll, by the time we started to eat these, we were starting to get quite full. And I personally didn’t have any of the shortbread so I won’t comment on those! The roll was quite light but the I thought the beans tasted a bit hard (could have been softer). As for the creme caramel, it was a bit of mixed thoughts, however it might be more related to me preferring savoury dishes over sweet. In my case, I thought they were quite thin/light plus the fact some of the flavoured taste of the creme caramel wasn’t that noticeable (matcha, et al). However, others where a lot better, like the cheese version. Acquired taste? It is possible I might come back, alas, it is in Port Moody…

To close this post, Jessica, thanks for organization it, Sherman, thanks for inviting us for the poutine and, Phyllis, it was really nice to meet you and thanks for the pizza!

Sciué
800 W Pender Street (Location visited)
126 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC

Once again, it was during those hectic Winter Olympic days… Actually, they weren’t THAT bad because, thanks to arrangements from my workplace, I was able to finish work earlier which let me wander around the different houses and pavilions (and I blogged about them here). That arrangement also allowed me to go to Downtown core itself for lunch and, for today’s post, one of those places that seems to be close yet a bit too far: Sciué

Truth is, I am not sure what would be the best way to describe Sciué… Coffee shop? Sandwich shop? Restaurant? Sure, the entrance tells you it is also a bakery but, one thing is what they say it is, another is what they actually sell. One thing that you won’t miss is the fact they are Italian based as, well, they sell a lot of Italian goods, including what I ended up ordering for lunch…

Yup, that is pizza alright. But, wait… Why it looks like rectangles? Well, it just happens they don’t sell it by slice, as almost any other places nearby. Instead, think of ~17.5 cm/~7″ wide flat bread. You then tell them how much you want and they will cut a piece for you. That piece is then weighed (for cost) and reheated before it is served to you. Of course, you can’t tell them “I want 100g”; instead, you estimate how much before it is cut. While I am OK with this approach of guessing it yourself the same way you would when ordering cold cuts in a deli, I didn’t quite like the fact I could (easily) find the price per gram in the menu, nor have an idea of how many grams are the slice I am asking for, nor the fact they were quite “fast” at the weight scale (they just put it and removed it right away: I couldn’t really see how much it was that slice). Had I known in advance, I might have hesitated on ordering this for lunch…

As for the dough/base, it is of course, quite different from the one found in Ah-Beetz. The end result is more doughy and chewy, yet the more charred portions had a crunch bite to it. In a funny way, that worked well, as despite the “small” portion, it ended up quite filling due to all the chewing you had to go through. As for taste, I could swear it was somewhat similar to the taste of sourdough…

The toonie is for reference purposes

I will admit I am a fan of almost all form of edible fungi, even if it is the plain/simple button mushroom. In this case, it imparted a meatiness to the slice, which made meat unnecessary. I will admit I wasn’t paying too much attention to the cheese (chances are, it was mozzarella); however, what I will admit is that it wasn’t that milky substances found in other places – it actually tasted like cheese. From that perspective, I will give them some credit…

Slice #2 was one of the “salad” type pizzas. In this case, after the flat bread has been prepared, some garden salad and, in this case, salmon was added to the top. I will admit I got this one out of a whim because, well, it has salmon! The base had a creamy dressing which help the green salad – both complemented the smokiness of the salmon.

Now, this last one is dedicated to Jessica (of Yum-o-Rama). See, some long time ago, Jessica embarked on a quest for cannoli and, in a way, I took over that torch. Unfortunately, I dropped it because, I wasn’t really looking too hard. However, after noticing they have cannoli, I had to order one.

Now, they didn’t fill up upon ordering so, purists, don’t bring your pitchforks, you were warned! As for taste… Well, it was good yet it was OK. The filling was creamy and not too sweet. The cocoa powder didn’t really add much, unfortunately. The part that went sideways was the pastry: think of it more on the lines of a soft (not chewy) cookie. While it kept its shape, after the first bite, everything started to crumble down. In a way, it wasn’t a pretty sight. However, I am sure others won’t mind this and will be happy with this otherwise messy cannoli.

For the most part, the food was above average but one thing wasn’t: price. I am all in for quality food but when I pay almost $10 for the flat bread/pizza plus $3.25 for the cannolo, well, it is a hard hit to the wallet. At the same price, I can think of better lunch options. OK, I will give them some break considering they are in Downtown core and their customer base might not care as much. On the same token, that is the reason I am not that interested in coming back…

Uncle Fatih’s Pizza
1685 East Broadway
1187 Denman Street Vancouver (location visited)
Vancouver, BC

There is that “complain” that pizza in Vancouver sucks. While it is true that we do have a lot of cheapo pizza parlours, we also have great joints like Ah-Beetz (though, of course, you have to drive to Abbotsford). There are other places I have my target on, including Ragazzi and The Firewood Cafe, but there is one reason I haven’t acted on that wish to visit them: I can only eat that much. To a certain extent, that is why I have no shame admitting I go to cheapo pizza parlous: I can eat two slices and no risk of bad pizza leftover (even when “as is”, it was good). For today’s post, I visited the “second” location of one of the most popular cheap/late night pizza places: Uncle Fatih’s Pizza (which I blogged previously in a vs. match against 2001 Flavours), this time in Denman Street near English Bay.

I am not sure if I should be surprised they are opening in this place. About a year ago, there was a location of Sarpino’s in the space that is now occupied by a Babylon Cafe, yet, we have Nat’s New York Pizzeria and Flying Wedges further down the road (not to mention Panago’s, Domino’s and Pizza Hut). So, in a way, there is a market, the question is whether there is a market for pizza by the slice in this area… (As a reminder, not far away is Granville Street has its share of such places).

I went on a day when the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games was still kicking in full force and, surprisingly or not, that area of the West End was quiet. We all know a partial reason as to why but, regardless, this lack of foot traffic meant the pies won’t as fresh as their Broadway location, where they usually crank out one every couple of minutes just to keep up with demand. With that in mind, I just randomly selected two to satiate the noon hunger…

Notice that white dab on the right? That would be a dressing they have available for free. Whereas some places will charge you for a side dressing, this location of Uncle Fatih’s does not. However, that begs the question: is it really necessary to begin with? Now, the slices were lukewarm and that was despite it was reheated partially in the electric oven. The fact I chose to sit outside (to take advantage of natural sunlight) and was a breezy day did not help with the temperature issue here.

Unlike Ah-Beetz, do not expect fancy dough, specially considering these were baked in an electric oven. Heck, considering these are “cheapo” pizza, I am not sure if I should be complaining at all! Anyway, despite its looks, it had certain “crunch” feeling to it; however, I won’t call it crispy by any stretch of imagination.

And while it was loaded with toppings, I won’t say they were too exciting. I could faintly taste some of the components, like the onions and the peppers but, again, because it cooled down after the picture session, they were borderline the same as a cold pizza. At this point, I am sure some of you might say I can’t give an honest opinion of their offerings. However, that might not necessarily be the case. I have had similar ones while waiting in their Broadway location and, for good or for bad, they were almost the same. Based on this oddity, I can safely say that, if you liked the ones from their Broadway location, you will like it here. However, if you are the people who prefers Flying Wedges, Uncle Fatih’s might not necessarily be for you. In my particular case, I will still go to 2001 Flavours!

Artichoke Basille’s Pizza & Brewery
328 East 14th Street
New York, NY

Here is the challenge: three meals in New York, where to eat… What to eat! Rather than me scratching my head, I set up three criterias:

1) Ask a fellow blogger (not necessarily from New York) for suggestions.
2) Ask a friend who lived/has lived in New York City for a suggestion of a place that will not break the piggy bank.
3) Go to a semi-iconic place.

This post tackles point #1 (point #2 will come noon today and #3 will be tomorrow Saturday!), where I asked fellow blogger Sherman for a suggestion of a place I should visit in New York City. He pointed out several ones and, while it was all good, I had one problem: Transportation. For the most part, I was relying in either walking around or public transit which meant my range would be really limited (with my “central” location being New York Penn Station). And, while I have been told that NYC’s public transit is quite good, after a couple of runs with it, I prefer Vancouver’s… Anyway, I thought that after my visit to Ah-Beetz in Abbotsford which serves NY style pizza, I might as well try a pizza from New York! Of course, there are the iconic places, like Di Fara and Lombardi’s; however, there were issues with both places: either, it was too far or had to buy the whole pie. And, then, there was Ray’s which ended up being like a chain… That would have been all good but, instead, I went for a somewhat unconventional option: Artichoke Basille’s Pizza & Brewery.

Now, Artichoke Basille’s (from now on, referred as Artichoke’s) is not near NY Penn Station either: An almost 3Km walk… Yeah, yeah, I could have taken transit but I was still having problems figuring out their system and thought I might as well walk this distance. Couldn’t I have walked to Lombardi’s? Actually, I did later that day, as I was in SoHo, but… Anyway, I arrived just after noon and, as seen above, behold, there was a line already! Fortunately, they were relatively fast and was my turn after almost 10 minutes in the line.

When it was my turn, I asked for two slices (more on that in a moment). When the cashier heard that, she looked at me as if asking me “are you *really* sure”. I just smiled and paid for my order. In the meantime, they were calling each previous customer to pick up their slice. I thought that was odd because…

Yup, some of them were already prepared, sitting there, waiting for customers to order it. Even then, they did not take a piece, put it on a plate and give it to the customer. Instead, they were reheating some of the pieces first. Under normal circumstances, that might be an issue: in the case they have been sitting there for a while, even reheating it won’t bring it back. To “counter” that issue, Artichoke’s have only four types of pizza: artichoke spinach, crab, “Margarita” and Sicilian rather than six or eight as seen in some pizza parlours.

As mentioned above, I ordered two slices, the first one being the “Margarita” – The obvious reason was to compare it to the one from Ah-Beetz. Right after I received my order, I ran into a small problem. There aren’t any tables! Instead, there were some benches outside and a makeshift counters (that is where I ended up eating). Also, I understood why the cashier asked me the “are you sure” question. The piece was !#%!@#$ huge. That single slice was longer than the plate’s diameter! Furthermore…

It was way thicker than the one from Ah-Beetz. At that point, I had to tell myself: no comparison can be made given such difference. Too bad…. The “Margarita” had some sweetness from the tomato but wasn’t too overpowering. The cheese provided a slight creaminess and saltiness to the pie. An almost perfect combination of the two that made me want to just keep on eating. The basil disappointed a little bit because it wasn’t really aromatic; however, I won’t complain because it had to go back to the oven which might have “destroyed” all the flavours it had. The dough was crispy but not too doughy. As seen above, it had its “leopard spots”, considered by many to be the indicator of a good/controlled oven and a good dough. That might be true; however, there was something distracting. As mentioned above, it was thick and, in the end, really heavy.

For the second piece, I went for the slice that gives the shop its name: artichoke spinach. The dough was even slightly heavier than the “Margarita” but I soon found out that was required. That is because the best way to describe this pizza would be some pizza dough with an artichoke spinach dip on top. Had it been too thin, it would have not been able to “hold” that mix. Flavourwise, it was really savoury (not salty, though), again, similar to an artichoke spinach dip. And, similar to the “Margarita”, I wanted to keep bite after bite.

After eating about half of each slice, I gave up. There was no way I would have ended up eating both slices! Still, I do not regret not finishing them; on the contrary, I might have regretted it had I overeaten… In the end, while this might not be 100% representative of NY style pizza, I really liked it. Not perfect but has some unique characteristics I appreciate. Would I come back? Well, it depends: I might want to go to Lombardi’s first; otherwise, yes!

Ah-Beetz
2664 Gladys Avenue
Abbotsford, BC

So far are you willing to drive for good eats? 10 Km? 25 Km? 50 Km? How about driving that distance for pizza? What? Yup, you got that right, pizza! While we have a lot of pizza shops in Vancouver, the general opinion is that we could do better. So, “looking around”, I became aware Ah-Beetz, a pizza shop, in Abbotsford, out of all places, which makes authentic New York style pizza. That claim made me curious enough to make that trip!

But, going there by myself… I mean, if it was one or four of us, it would take almost as much gas and one can only eat that much pizza, right? That’s why I wanted, ahem, volunteers. So, a couple of months ago, I dropped an email to some fellow food bloggers checking with them if there was any interest to do exactly that. While there was, we couldn’t agree in where/when and other logistic details. Those plans were hanging on and on until gastronomydomine of f o o d o s o p h y wrote about it. At that point, I knew I had to go no matter what – even if that meant going by myself and having only one type of pizza. Fortunately, Sherman of Sherman’s Food Adventures and frequent commenter Anita were interested as well… So, a short road trip it was!

Update: Sherman’s post is here!

This small pizza shop is operated by a husband-and-wife team: Terry and Heather Deane. As soon as we stepped in, you could feel the passion behind the pizza and its making. No making a pizza in a rush to throw it in an oven and the put it in a box for delivery. Now, the pizza was made with patience and love. While we were taking this pictures, Terry did not seem fazed or curious as to why we wanted to take pictures. After all, the previous week somebody asked to film him in action… Wait, film?! When we heard that, I had an odd hunch which was confirmed when, later while eating our pies, the name “Kevin” was mentioned. Yes, THAT Kevin! Anyway…

But back to the pizzas. We decided to order two small pizzas rather than a large one. That way, we thought, we could try more than one type. I personally asked for the one above – Margherita: tomato sauce, aged mozzarella, fior di latte, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil & Grana Padano. I did so based on the principle of simplicity. When we received it, rather than dig in right away, we started to take closer looks. First noticeable thing? Its thinness:

Yup, it is THAT thin! If you stack more than three credit cards or a couple of paper napkins, that would be thicker that this pizza! At that point, Terry made mention of another important characteristic and, to find out, we had to lift the pie and look at the bottom:

This effect is called “leoparding” or “leopard spotting”. I will not even try to explain it other than to provide this link.

But, back to the pizza. I think I don’t have an easy way to describe it, specially because I can’t make any analogy based on any pizza I have tried in Vancouver. Let’s start with the dough. While it has some crispiness to it, it wasn’t 100% crispy as in a cracker. Also, it wasn’t dough-y as in bread. And, add to all that, it has a slight elastic texture that made each bite bounce slightly. And, ah, the ingredients… As mentioned, simplicity as it best. All the ingredients were flavourful, starting with a hint of sourness from the dough, some savoury-ness of the cheese, a slight sweetness from the tomatoes, some fragrance from the basil. None of the ingredients overpowered the other and, instead, everything were complementing each other with each bite. As mentioned, simplicity at its best…

The second pizza we ordered was the Di Fara: pepperoni, artichoke hearts, tomato sauce, aged mozzarella, fior di latte, lots of fresh basil, lots of extra virgin olive oil & lots of Grana Padano. The difference between this and the Margherita is the addition of artichoke and pepperoni. These two extra ingredients were enough to make it different in its own ways: the artichokes in the form of a different texture and the pepperoni in the way of a contrasting flavour. For example, see the extra “fat” from the pepperoni? Yes, it was good… (drool).

The fold…

Unlike other mass produced pizzas, there wasn’t a “poodle” of oil at the bottom.

Yup, that’s basil… Freshly cut after it is out of the oven!

Some of the meats, they prepare it themselves!

There were a total of 16 slices and we estimate Sherman and I had 6 each while Anita had 4. Did I mention some of us are heavy eaters? OK, OK, actually, their pizzas are quite light and I could swear I could have eaten an extra two slices more. But, still, delicious… (drool again).

After our pizzas, we were chatting a little bit and Terry and Heather gave us more details of their operations. How about some of the ingredients made by themselves or, as seen above, use freshly cut basil? Did I mention they have to prepare some of the ingredients with enough advance? In fact, if they run out of dough for that day, that’s it! Why this rather than getting them from a local producer? One of the reasons is consistency – by preparing it themselves, they have full control over the product.

Terry, Heather, thanks for sharing your passion. It was education, not to mention delicious!

Panago
Multiple locations in Canada
969 Denman Street (Location visited)
Vancouver, BC

OK, I know some people might criticize me for this post but, to be truthful, I am here to blog about almost any place I can think of – fine dining, mom-and-pop, dives, chains, out of the way, etc. etc. Sure, this is your generic chain but, as I have mentioned previously, restaurants like this have a place in society. Despite my (pre)conceptions, if it is there, I will go and visit it at least once. Having said that, I went to Panago during lunch on a break we had from the stretch of rainy days in the last two weeks and was in Denman Street looking for eats when noticed this sandwich board.

For $6, I can think of a lot of places to get lunch in the area but, then again, I was standing out there and wasn’t in the mood to look for other options, specially options I haven’t blogged previously. So, walk in I did. One thing immediately “caught” my eyes – or rather, what I did not see. To those who haven’t been in the area, this is almost across of one of the schools in the West End. Since it was just past noon, I would expect some kids there. No, that was not the case. I guess I won’t have to “fight” with them for space and me being able to take the pictures… Anyway, after several minutes, I received my personal size pizza and drink.

This is the Italian Classic, which has “Italian tomato sauce, pepperoni, Canadian ham, red onions, sautéed mushrooms, green olives, green peppers + mozzarella“. The distribution of these components was somewhat odd; however, I will blame that to the size of the pizza. I mean, you can only put that much in 300 or so square centimetres….

For the most part, the ingredients seem to fit “fine”; however, I was not too excited about them. It was borderline bland. I think the only piece that slightly added something was the olives and that is stretching it. What sort of “disturb” me a little bit was what seemed to be fat left behind on the box when I lifted a piece. Fat normally does not bother me if it adds flavour; this was not the case. Or could it be because the dough was stretch to thin?

In the end, I do not think this should be extrapolated to their regular pizzas, mainly because, well, preparing such a small size pizza has its limitations. I have had their regular pizzas in the past and they were slightly better (in this case, it does not mean much, though). For lunch, I will give it a pass, as for $6, other (better) options exist. And, for pizza during lunch, I might be more tempted to go to 2001 Flavours.

Flying Wedge Pizza
Several locations in Metro Vancouver
1059 Denman Street (Location visited)
Vancouver, BC

In the last couple of weeks, I have mentioned lunches at work has been a bit crazy, mainly due to tight deadlines. During that period of time, I had to rely on some unusual source of lunches, namely Safeway. I have to admit their soups can be quite good, specially if you get a sourdough “bowl” to go along. In one day I had a bit more of time, I decided to walk a bit farther. But, for some reason, every other place was closed/not open yet for business. Sometimes it sucks when you want to go out for an early lunch… But, Flying Wedge Pizza was open and that worked for me.

Just like I was there getting an early lunch, the staff was also bussy in the back preparing for the lunch onslaught (I think). When I walked in, the staff rushed out. It took me a little while to decide what to order for two reasons: unusual topping combinations and the size of a slice. Now, their slices are not necessarily cheap to begin with (just under $4, $3.50 on Tuesdays) but, at the same time, they seem larger than the ones you would get in most pizza parlours. Since one slice won’t be enough for me, I decided to go all in with two slices. would I regret it? Hmmmmm…

I should kill myself for doing this: For “better: lightning, I sat outside; however, the sun was hitting me directly! Argh!

The first slice was “Thai”, which has “sweet chili garlic sauce, chicken, green and red peppers, carrots, snow peas, roasted cashews, sesame seeds, cheese blend and cheddar”. Was it sweet? Yes, it was slightlyt sweet. Likewise, I could taste the chicken and peppers. However, not sure about the carrots and snow peas. And, while the sesame was visible, it didn’t add too much to the flavour. The one part of the pizza that I liked yet not necessarily liked at the same time was the roasted cashews. To give you an idea, I am among those who would buy a jar of (unsalted) cashews and snack it. It didn’t feel “roasted”; however, had it been roasted, it might have ended up being on the “bad” side. Remember, the slices have been sitting under the lamp for a while… Regardless, the slice itself was quite enjoyable.

Along with the slice of Thai pizza, I also had the “Deep Purple”, which has basil, marinated eggplants, onions and cheddar. Out of the four listed ingredients, I noticed the cheddar and eggplants (both for obvious reasons), the onions to a lesser extent and the basil was totally MIA. Of course, if this is the list of ingredients… What are the red things? Not that I cared but…

The dough in both cases was quite heavy, though it is possible that I am now used to the ones of some pizza parlours. But, on the plus side, they had some herby taste which, sets it appart from other pizza shops. So, that leads to this question: How does it fare? Despite they were good in their own ways, I still prefer the one from my favourite pizza parlour: 2001 Flavors. In a chain vs. chain comparison, I will have to say that even Megabite’s was better. But, there is a reason why it “fails” misserably for me: the dough. Again, it was too heavy for me. Toppings wise, quite interesting but when the vessel fails… In the meantime, I will skip it.

Megabite Pizza
Several locations in Vancouver
820 Thurlow Street (Location visited)
Vancouver, BC

4 Brothers Pizza
1417 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Welcome to another iteration of Battle of Pizza Parlours! As suggested by the subject, this is the second version – the previous instance was based on my favourite pizza spot, 2001 Flavors, compared to 604Foodtography’s suggested Uncle Fatih’s Pizza. In the end, I thought both were good options, it is just dependant on where you are. This time, the comparison is similar: A local chain, Megabite Pizza against another Commercial Drive local pizza shop, 4 Brothers Pizza (4BP, from here on). As a sidenote, I must mention, Megabite also has a shop somewhat near 4BP, in Broadway/Commercial Skytrain Station, not to mention a variant called Pizza Garden (check this post by, again, 604Foodtography); however, I went to Downtown Vancouver’s location. So, without further ado…

First, Megabite Pizza. This location is not that close to my workplace but still walking distance. I arrived just prior to lunchtime, yet they already had several pies ready for customers like me. And, again, this is both a blessing and a curse: you can have your slices right away, with the caveat they may have been sitting under the lamp a bit too long…

During this visit, I ordered two slices and, I will admit, I still have no idea of what I ordered. I just pointed two that looked really good and went from there. Along with a can of pop/soda, it was $5. In this case, the fact it was sitting there was a blessing. Sure, the pizza was not pipping hot but, somehow, the dough managed to “soak” the sauce, yet it did not end up soggy or still crusty. As for the topping themselves, they were not extremely generous but had enough to not call it stingy. Overall, it was quite decent for the price…

And, now, 4BP. I went there after my Friday night activity and, that night, it was a bit later than usual. Anyway, just like other pizza parlours, the pies were sitting there for a while. However, while eating mine, I noticed a constant string of customers, which is always a good thing.

Obviously, with these prices, they are trying to make you buy two slices and a can of pop/soda. Yes, that was what I ended up ordering in the end.

Just like Megabite, I was not sure what I ordered so you will have to guess… ^_^;;; And, while the dough did not really soak the sauce here, it did not cause the cheese/other toppings layer “slide” away from the dough. In the end, I must say it was quite good too but not sure if it can be called “The Best Pizza on the Drive”… Should I revisit this after I visit all of them?

So, how do these two pizza parlours compare to each other? In a way, they were quite similar. Both are good, though I am sure that hunger certainly had something to do with it. So, yet again, straight comparison is unfair. Had I gone to Pizza Garden instead…

Uncle Fatih’s Pizza
1685 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC

2001 Flavors Pizza
595 West Pender
Vancouver, BC

 (Bell ringing)

(Start impersonation of Michael Buffer)Ladies and gentlemen. On red corner, suggested by bloggers fellow bloggers Kevin and Sherman, Uncle Fatih’s Pizza! And, on the blue corner, a KimHo’s favourite, 2001 Flavors Pizza! And now… Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!”. (end impersonation)

Sorry, I simply couldn’t resist doing that! Anyway, today’s post is about these two pizza parlours, one located in Downtown Vancouver, the other in the suburbs. Despite their differences, they share something in common, they are both popular.

Let’s start with Uncle Fatih’s, located in Broadway and Commercial – near Broadway Skytrain station. It is not exactly in the blocks where the stations are located and, despite there are two other pizza shops there (One Fresh Slice and one Megabite), Uncle Fatih’s seems busier than the other two. That should mean something, right?

The night I went there, it was a cold, chilly night. Even then, there were people queueing outside just for a slice or two of pie. In a way, I had to fight my way to one of the few stools inside. I could have easily sat in one of the plastic chairs outside but, it was dark, cold and not sure how easy/difficult would have been to take pictures… And here is what I ordered.

I will admit something here: I don’t remember exactly what I ordered here! My memory serves me right, the left one was vegetables and the right one is chicken. But, then again, I might be completely mistaken, hehehehe. The slices were not just out of the “oven” (actually a conveyor type oven) but was not standing way too long under the lamp either. I did not really “taste” the tomato sauce, as if they were a bit stingy on it. However, there was a good balance of the other ingredients.

One thing that you will notice is the crust: it has sesame seeds which, if toasted correclty, gives a different twist. However, if overtoasted, it turns bitter. In this case, it was slightly undertoasted which, unfortunately, added to nothing. Call it double edge sword.

After having those two slices, I couldn’t help myself get at third one! Was it because I was hungry? Was it because they were good? I won’t answer that question, hehehehe.

Now, 2001 Flavors, located in one of the most dense areas of Vancouver when it comes to pizza parlours. On the same block, there are not one, or two but four pizza parlours! It has been there ever since I walked by years ago and some other nearby pizza shops have come of gone – yet, aside from a small renovation last year, 2001 Flavors basically looks the same. 

Right next to 2001 Flavors is FM Classic pizza… Did I mention lots of nearby pizza parlors?

Just like Uncle Fatih’s, during lunch rush or around 6:00 p.m., this place is packed. Fortunately, there are a couple of tables which accomodates more customers. Caveat, though, there has been instances where I have been seated to a total stranger! How come? Well, it just happens that you queue, point what you want and then sit wherever you want/can.

That night, I started with a slice of vegetable and another slice of ground beef with olives. The vegetable one was recently out of the oven; however, the ground beef one was sitting there for a moment. As a contrast of other pizza parlours, the dough was, well, more doughy. It could be good or bad, it basically boils down to your personal preference. Unlike Uncle Fatih’s, there is a good balance of tomato sauce, not overpowering but you can still taste it. As for the toppings, again, it was quite well balanced.

The crust. Here, the crust looks slightly burned/over-cooked. But, I myself do not eat the crust so I am OK with that… But, wait, did you notice something “odd” about the slice above? Like, it has a different set of toppings compared to the previous picture? Yes, just like Uncle Fatih’s, I could not help myself get another slice!

Overall, I don’t think there is a “better” between the two. They both share the same “issues” (unsold slices might be under the lamp for quite a while) but the end result is quite good in its own ways. Also, competition is stiff which push them to improve themselves. For me, I have a preference for 2001 Flavors (“just because”); however, Uncle Fatih’s is an option if I am in the area.

Arris Pizza
5 Locations in Missouri, plus a location in Oklahoma
115 W High Street (Location visited)
Jefferson City, MO

Since I have been travelling “a lot” in the last six months (compared to the last 5 or so years), every time I stop at a new city, I ask the locals for something unique of the region. When I was in Baltimore, I went for crab cakes; in Merrillville, due to its proximity to Chicago, deep dish pizza; in Philadelphia, cheese steak; and so on.

When I was in Jefferson City, I asked my usual question and, at first, they were bewildered. In a way, they couldn’t think of something “local”. And I won’t blame them, some places with such a massive influx of people, it becomes a melting pot and no cuisine becomes “dominant”. And I can easily relate that, since there is no such thing as a “local” dish in Vancouver. Oddly, when I asked for a restaurant location (at that point “anything works”), I was able to find one of the regional “specialties”. And that is the subject of today’s post, Arris’ Pizza

It seems Arris’ Pizza is a local institution. After it was first mentioned, almost everybody agreed on that suggestion. Who am I to question the locals? Anyway, a 10 Km or so drive it was on a chilly, windy, dark night so it better be good!

On Sunday’s random post, I mentioned about condiments and here is the one found in Arris’ Pizza’s tables. One thing I found “odd” was the presence of artificial sweeteners by “default”. I mean, I understand they would provide it if you had coffee or tea at the end of the meal… However, I think I found out when a nearby table asked for iced tea and the waitress asked if they wanted it sweetened or unsweetened.

As for the food, when I asked (my clients) what they would order, they did disagree a little bit; however, there was a constant: their Greek salad. Again, whom am I to disagree? And here it is:

I will admit it right away: this is the oddest “Greek” salad I ever had. The ones I have had in other places are mostly cucumber and tomatoes, plus other veggies, like green peppers, onions and olives, and, of course, feta cheese and olive oil. However, as you can see in the picture above, there was too much iceberg lettuce for my liking. But, the cheese/dressing used was able to detract the blandness of the iceberg lettuce thanks to its pungency/tanginess. Regardless, I was disappointed. As for the “main”, I ordered a pizza.

Why pizza? It just happen that there is such thing as St. Louis style pizza (on the same lines of Chicago or New York style pizza). From what I was able to gather, rather than mozzarella, it uses a blend of other cheeses (provolone, swiss and white cheddar), not to mention the crust tend to be on the crunchy side. As for the one I ordered, I chose the House pizza which has “ground beef, mushrooms, red onions, green peppers, pepperoni, cotto salami, and our Greek sausage“. Before I continue, notice something strange about the pizza above? For example, the slits? Yes, it was not cut into wedges like the one most people is used to (or at least I am); rather it is cut into squares. Again, it seems to be a local thing – so long and “forgotten” that, when I asked why, nobody from the staff knew.

As for the pizza itself, I found it strange. In a way, I am used to have some acidity from the tomato sauce; however, I couldn’t really taste it from this one. Before anybody comments “but, what about ‘white’ pizza?” Well, true but, in that case, I am expecting it not to have that tomato acidity. Here, I did not find it. Notice, I am not calling it bad; it was different. As for the rest of the pizza, there was a good balance from the ingredients. One thing that I think they could have improved was the type of mushroom – like using fresh rather than canned. Despite it was covered by the cheese, after eating so much mushroom, I could tell just by the texture.

In the end, I couldn’t finish it and packed half of it to go (yeah, my hotel room had a fridge). I was also given these two chocolates. Overall, I can’t say I love it; however, I can’t say I don’t like it either. Probably if I was served more of this, I might learn to appreciate it the same way the locals do. Unfortunately, I don’t think any place here in Vancouver serve them. Still I enjoyed the experience and certainly would give it another chance.