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Posts Tagged ‘Dishcrawl Vancouver’

Dishcrawl West End – Eating My Way Along Robson Street Part 2

Posted in Bistro, Cafe, Chocolate, Culinary Events, Dessert, Dinner, Food Bloggers, Group Dinner, Joyce, Neighbourhood Gem, Pizza, Restaurants, Tea, Vancouver, West Coast, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 4, 2013| 2 Comments »

Continuing our journey from Part 1 of the Dishcrawl West End tour, we kept on heading eastward from Hida Takayama Ramen and arrived at the door of Forage Restaurant. You would remember my interview with its Executive Chef, Chris Whittaker, a couple of weeks ago, so yes, I did know ahead of time that we would be coming here for a tasting trio. I was quite looking forward to this stop.

Forage Restaurant

Forage Restaurant

Forage Restaurant (1300 Robson Street)

Once again, each table is given three full-size plates to share. First of all, the Nettle Gnocchi with Brown Butter was very good. It’s slightly crispy on the outside, and pillowy inside. The brown butter added extra richness, savouriness and nutty taste to the dish. I don’t eat gnocchi often, but other ones I’ve had tend to be more doughy, whereas this one seemed to have more potato content. It’s almost like pan-fried mashed potato balls.

Nettle gnocchi with brown butter

Nettle gnocchi with brown butter

True to its Farm-to-Table and seasonal concept, the next dish features the Foraged Mushrooms that are currently in season. This is a very simple dish, but that’s also the best way to let the ingredients shine in their own light. (more…)

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Dishcrawl West End – Eating My Way Along Robson Street Part 1

Posted in BBQ, Culinary Events, Dinner, Group Dinner, Japanese, Joyce, Korean, Meat, Noodles, Restaurants, Soup, Vancouver, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 3, 2013| 1 Comment »

A few weeks ago I was invited by Dishcrawl to check out its A Taste of Vancouver’s West End tour. Suggested by its name, it was a tour of four restaurants on the West End of downtown Vancouver, along Robson Street. Throughout the evening, we stopped by each restaurant and tried a trio of dishes. We didn’t know the list of restaurants ahead of time, only to be given a meet-up location and be ready to be surprised.

And so we met up at our first stop, Ap Gu Jung Korean Cuisine. Did you know how many Korean restaurants are in that area? A lot! Finally I spotted the place and met up with our host Jennifer.

Ap Gu Jung Korean Cuisine

Ap Gu Jung Korean Cuisine

Ap Gu Jung Korean (1642 Robson Street)

Each of us was given a tasting plate of some of the more popular Korean dishes: Beef BBQ (bulgogi), Pork on Fire (spicy pork), Seafood Pancake, Kimchi Pancake and Chicken Skewer. (more…)

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An Interview with Chris Whittaker, Executive Chef of Forage

Posted in Eat Local, Interviews, Joyce, Restaurants, Sustainable, Vancouver, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2013| 1 Comment »

Through the organizer of Dishcrawl‘s “A Taste of Vancouver’s West End” on June 19, I had a chance to meet and interview Chris Whittaker, the executive chef of Forage at the Listel Hotel.

Forage Vancouver

Forage Vancouver

Originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Chef Chris Whittaker has been in the industry for 22 years. Starting as a dishwasher at 14, Chris worked his way up and really enjoyed his journey growing as a chef. His experience working at the largest convention hotel in northwest Ontario allowed him to learn making everything from scratch, building a great foundation for what he has become to be.

Chris moved to the west coast in 1999 and worked for several large hotels and restaurants. In 2007, he landed a job at the Listel Hotel, a boutique hotel on the West End which strives to be the greenest hotel. Chris has been there ever since.

“I hunt, I fish, I garden; we keep two honey bee hives at home. We compost all food waste and we recycle. That’s also how I operate my kitchen. The progression of my career and the shift to local cuisine 8 or 10 years ago just made this a natural fit,” says Chris. (more…)

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Dishcrawl Kitsilano – Discovering Hidden Gems Part 2

Posted in Casual, Dessert, Dinner, Joyce, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Vancouver, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 7, 2013| 1 Comment »

Continuing our journey from Part 1 of the Dishcrawl Kitsilano adventure, we took a short walk and stopped at Romer’s Burger Bar. When we sat down, I only had very little room for more food, so I was secretly hoping that they would give us small portions. Thankfully, they gave us the right amount of food (I know, it’s so defeating the purpose, but I didn’t want to waste any more food either!).

Romer's Burger Bar

Romer’s Burger Bar

Romer’s Burger Bar (1873 W 4th Avenue)

It was a trio of a slider-size Man’s Man Burger, mini Fries with Fresh Chopped Garlic & Sea Salt, and a side of Deep Fried Pickled Jalapeno. The Man’s Man Burger was quite good; the patty was juicy and I liked the crunch from the onion strings. Overall I did find the burger to be a bit salty, but I wasn’t quite sure what caused it. Could be the mustard or smoked alder salts. The Garlic Fries was sooo good! They weren’t double-fried but it’s light and crispy. I’m not a huge garlic person but for some reason I found these fries super addictive. (more…)

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Dishcrawl Kitsilano – Discovering Hidden Gems Part 1

Posted in By Invitations, Dinner, Food Bloggers, Greek, Group Dinner, Italian, Joyce, Mexican, Pizza, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Vancouver, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 6, 2013| 1 Comment »

The culinary scene has definitely flourished in the past few years. One of which is the rise of guided food tours. Many companies have joined the playing field and offer food tours usually by the type of cuisine (e.g. food trucks) or by geographical location (e.g. Gastown). A few weeks ago I was invited  by Dishcrawl, a new player in the Vancouver market, to check out its Kits Bits & Bites tour.

Suggested by its name, it was a tour of four Kitsilano restaurants. Throughout the evening, we stopped by each restaurant and tried a trio of tasting plates. We didn’t know the list of restaurants ahead of time, only to be given a meet-up location and be surprised.

And so we met up at our first stop, Simpatico Restaurant, a Greek & Italian restaurant that has been around since 1969.  Can’t believe I’ve never heard of it! It is also the first ever restaurant Vancouver to introduce whole wheat crust pizza to their menu. I was quite excited to try this restaurant.

Simpatico Restaurant

Simpatico Restaurant

Simpatico Restaurant (2222 W 4th Ave)

Around the table we were given a few plates of Hummus and Pita to share. The hummus was creamy and smooth, with a citrusy, lemon finish. The pita bread was grilled nicely, crispy on the outside and soft and pillowy inside. Following that were two of Simpatico’s popular dishes. The Baltimore Benny Pizza was named after Simpatico’s chef and it’s a meat lover’s pizza. (more…)

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