Vancouver Top Slop is our new feature which asks people of Vancouver what their three favourite restaurants are in Vancouver. The goal of this feature is to share culinary experiences in Vancouver through the eyes of some its most influential leaders. Contributers chosen by Vancouver Slop are selected because they represent Vancouver's influencers in our city.

Check out Vancouver Top Slop.

My friend Henny showed me this drink. Kokanee or Kokanee Gold with margarita mix. It is like a beer slurpee. It is AMAZING, perfect for these hot days. I wish I could have one right now while sitting in my bed.

We had this round at Earls but you can get them at a variety of bars.

Earls
905 Hornby Street
Vancouver


Matt

Take your date to Bin 942 and order the chocolate fondue ($18). It is fun and tasty and comes with a variety of items to dip including mini donuts. The fondue is the panty wetter and then later on play some 112 / Marvin Gaye / John Legend/Raphael Saadiq or whatever you use as your panty remover.


Bin 942
1521 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

The event at Walrus had a great turn out. Great snacks, free beer and fantastic company. Go check out the shop to see all their merchandise and pick up a Vancouver Slop X Walrus tee.

Respect to O-Toro for coming through big time on this project and props to the other artists for nicing it up.


Walrus
3408 Cambie Street
Vancouver BC

Les Faux Bourgeois
I love Les Faux because it is a perfect date spot. At $15-$19 dollars a dish the price point is perfect for a first date, a little more money than your general chain eatery but not too expensive that you would be pissed off if you didn't get a peck at the end of the night. The atmosphere is cute and the servers are good looking with sexy French accents.

This time I ordered the duck for $15 dollars and my date ordered the steak frites for $16 (hanger steak). The duck was nice and crispy and served in a very tasty sauce. It was a fatty piece of meat but was very enjoyable and a great value. The steak was cooked to perfection and had a delicious flavour (you get a choice of butter sauce, wine reduction or peppercorn), the fries were also really tasty. I am not a fan of the onglet/hanger but for the price, it does offer good value.

For all you cassanovas/Don Juans out there take your gal to Les Faux Bougeouis and enjoy a great meal and reasonably priced bottle of wine.


Les Faux Bougeois
663 15th Ave
Vancouver BC

Matt

Vancouver Slop will be unveiling its second T shirt this Thursday at Walrus. Come by Walrus from 5-9 to check out whats going on.

Click on the image for a better view of the flyer.

Walrus
3408 Cambie STreet
Vancouver, BC

Song Houng
The best 25 dollars I have spent in a long time.

I took a trip back to Song Houng to try their beef prepared 7 ways for 25 dollars. Song Houng seems to be a very authentic Vietnamese restaurant right down to the Vietnamese gansters eating there (I am glad to see they have good taste). Our server spoke perfect english and provided us with amazing service.


The beef prepared 7 ways can feed three people and having a fourth isn't a bad idea because there is a lot of beef (reduce the chance of gout). The meal is an amazing and fun experience and I plan to go back and show some of my friends this meal.

The first type of beef is the rare beef, that comes with a delicious sauce where you can add your lemongrass, peanuts and hot sauce to customize it. The sauce is a little spicy but when you try it with the food it is easily manageable for even the non spice tolerant people. A hibachi is set up which you use to cook your rare beef slices . The next dish that was served was the beef congee and the beef salad. They both were really tasty to me but they were very simple dishes. Then came the three types of beef satay, one regular, one in beef fat and one type wrapped in a la lot leef. They were good but all tasted very similar to me. Rice paper wraps, vermicelli, various mints, lettuce and other fixings that you use to put in your wrap are also placed on your table. The idea is that you would use the rice paper wraps to wrap your meat and fixings (mint, vermicelli etc). At one point we tried using the lettuce to wrap the meat and veggies, this was fantastic as well. The last dish that was served was the meatball which was my least favourite and received the quote "not that hype" from my friend.


Overall, for 25 bucks this meal is fantastic. It is really tasty and fun to enjoy. The service was great and our server provided complete directions for us rookies to follow. Make sure you try this place out. Also, the Coronas are only 4 bucks!!!!

Song Houng
1613 Nanaimo St
Vancouver, BC



Matt
(note I didn't include a picture of beef #7 - the meatball.)

Sometimes I get free food. I put in soo much time into this blog that I don't mind taking a free meal when offered. Irashai a restaurant located in Coal Harbour and they invited me along with two other bloggers (ethniceats.ca and hummingbird604.com) to have a meal on them. They have actually done a social media blitz and many bloggers were invited to try their food at either their open house or during a blogger's dinner.

Irashai has a sister location in Kerrisdale which from what I hear is quite busy however their Coal Harbour location is in an odd spot and was not very busy this night.

Lets talk about the food. The food was solid. The scallops and the tuna tataki both tasted really fresh and the presentation was fantastic. The lobster tail, shiso leaf and shitake mushroom were nice tasty alternatives to your usual deep fried bunch available at most restaurants. I love mushroom tempura and this one did not let me down. The rest of the dishes were all very impressive, I am not a big fan of fusion rolls but if you are into that you may want to give this place a try. For dessert we had the macha creme brulee which was fantastic, I actually prefer it to Guu's Earl Grey creme brulee.

You can see the price point of their dishes on their website (irashaigrill.com). One thing to note if you are ever nearby they offer an amazing bento box meal for lunch priced at $8-$16 dollars which is definitely worth the price.

Irashai Grill
1368 W Pender St
Vancouver, BC



Matt - click on the image for a larger view.

Now i don't say this often.
But i might have to this time.
This is some damn good pizza!!
Sciue.
Sciue Italian Bakery Cafe
110-800 Pender (at Howe)
604.602.7263
www.sciue.ca

buon appetitio

mama roma

In university I used to make nachos as a snack when I was studying and but now I mostly just eat them when I sit on a patio with friends. This picture is from Subeez where you can get a good plate of nachos and add on some chicken. Red Robin used to have the Macho Nachos and you could add ground beef. The Macho Nachos have now been taken off the menu.

Help me out here and list in the comments section what your favourite nachos spot is. Bonus points if I can get meat on them.

Over the last year wine has replaced my glass of coke or beer. Maybe it is because the girls that I have been hanging out with like wine or maybe my palate has changed. Regardless, I really do enjoy a glass a wine with my meal and /or at home while relaxing in front of the computer or TV.

My friend just put me onto this event called Vinocamp. This camp is for the people who are interested in wine, cheese and technology. Check out the website for more info.

www.vinocamp.com

When I first heard about this spot on Robson, based on the name and the location I thought this place was going to suck like the Jimmy Fallon show but everyone I have talked to has said amazing things about this restaurant.

I finally made a trip to visit this spot and I have to admit that I was very impressed. The complementary salsa and chips plate were a great starter. The atmosphere was not how I would decorate a Mexican restaurant but it was pleasant. For my meal I ordered a taco ($2.50), an enchilada (I think $9.50) and a horchata while my friend ordered the beef fajita ($14). Being a big fan of Dona Cata I was a little biased about this Robson Street restaurant but my little taco which I ordered as a barometer was dam good. The enchilada were tasty but the real talk of the table was the fajita. It was freaking good. Their seasoning used on the meat was fantastic, I has to be one of the better fajitas that I have had.

Bottom line, Don Guacamole's offers great Mexican food, nice portions for a decent price, especially for a Robson restaurant. Much respect goes out to Don Guacamole's. Word up!!!! Now I don't need to drive so far for good Mexican.

Don Guacamole's Restaurant
1333 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1C6
(604) 569-2295



The Jimmy Fallon show still sucks!!!

Matt

I just got back from Japan and I will write a long post about my eating experience later but I want to share this post. The one lesson that I learned about flying is that always keep your home keys in your carry on.

My departing flight from Narita was delayed, which caused me to miss my connecting flight in LA, which then caused my luggage to be lost and not arrive with me in Vancouver. After about 15 hours of traveling and waiting, I have never wanted my bed so much, however, I put my house keys in my checked in luggage and the person who has my spare keys was out of town.

I stayed at my friends for a bit but the baggage company called and said they will drop it off soon. So here I am sitting outside my door, connecting to my own WIFI signal but unable to get into my house until the baggage people drop off suitcase.

I just called the baggage company and they said they will drop off my suitcase somewhere between 1 to 4am. Wow, that specific eh. Until, then I ll just sleep in front of my door. This lap top battery will die shortly.

Come check the sickest yard sale this summer will see...

Jackson Avenue courtyard btw Union and Prior

10am-7pm

SUNDAY, JULY 5 2009

mama roma

I (Matt) took a trip to Quisi with a friend and she wanted to write the blog entry, she even seemed open to the idea of joining VancouverSlop.  I am crossing my fingers.  Here is how she summed up our experience at Quisi.

Ouisi Restaurant

It’s rare for me to sum up dishes using just a few words. It only really happens when you are unsatisfied with your meal. As is, unfortunately, the case below…

We went to Ouisi with hopes of leaving happy, full, and with stories of good food to tell. Self-described as “a bistro … creating Cajun and Creole cuisine from fresh British Columbia ingredients”, friends who had visited during Dine Out reported that it was tasty, and it’s been on South Granville for quite a while…all signs that would lead you to assume satisfaction, right? WRONG.

When we arrived, it took us (okay, me) a while to decide on what to get. Hungry and looking forward to a good dinner, I deliberated

 between the $8½ Vert et Bleu Salad (calvados vinaigrette tossed spinach, with roasted pumpkin seeds & Danish Blue cheese) followed by a $10 ¼ 14th Street Eats Sandwich (Chicken breast with spinach almond pesto & asiago cheese on sourdough), or the more authentic Cornmeal Crusted Trout $18 (with a mango-chipotle beurre blanc, roasted new potatoes and sautéed vegetables). I decided to go with the trout. I don’t love Cajun or Creole cooking all that much (not a fan of spicy…runny noses and sweaty faces), but I thought, hey, when in Rome…and I do like trout. MISTAKE.
 

My dining companions, Michelle and Matt, ordered the $2½ Basket of Housemade Cornbread to start, followed by the $15½ Jambalaya (a Louisiana classic, simmered with tomatoes, the trinity, smoked ham, andouille sausage, chorizo sausage & served with green rice), and the $9 Burger and Brew Special (with Swiss; for an additional $2 ¼, might I add, pricey cheese) with a $8 Seafood Chowder (a melange of seafood in a tomato broth with sweet potatoes & fresh vegetables). Sounds pretty Creole-licious, right? (well, minus the burger) WRONG.

Cornbread; one word: DRY. It crumbled when you put butter on it. Housemade, when? Earlier in the week?

Trout; one word: BLAAAAAAAAAAAAND. It was like eating water fish, yes, a make believe fish made up of solid water, zero flavour. So, you’d think the “mango-chipotle beurre blanc” would be the saving grace. Sounds lovely and authentic, but I wouldn’t even describe it that way, it was more just cut up mangos with mango sauce (mango, sugar, flour?) and some chilies; nothing amazing, and it definitely did not do anything for the dish. To round it off, the potatoes were weak and the sautéed vegetables were more like boiled and boring.

Jambalaya; few words: SPICY COVERING BLAND. Yup, another round of bland, but this time it was spicy, a lazy way to cover up bland. I believe Michelle said that it was so spicy that the spiciness was coming out of her eyeballs. Yu-ummmm!

Next: the burger, which Matt actually really enjoyed. Which, yaaaa…I guess is great, but not really what you’d go there for. Although, I guess you now know what to order if someone books resos there and you have no choice.

And finally, the Chowder; few words: DIRTY FISHY WATER. I should mention that this came out almost 15-20 minutes after everything else. Weird that soup would take that long in the first place, even more weird is that they thought they could get away with calling it chowder (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chowder - A thick soup containing fish or shellfish, especially clams, and vegetables, such as potatoes and onions, in a milk or tomato base). Thick? Nope! It was watery, with random little pieces of vegetable, and maybe random chunks of seafood, not that we say any. Okay, and the taste…seriously, fish water. We actually sent it back and told the waitress it wasn’t very good.

Needless to say, other than the burger, our meals were not polished off.

I can only assume that the Vert et Bleu Salad and 14th Street Eats Sandwich would have been better, but I’m not willing to go back there and try. Michelle mentioned their breakfast/brunch was good, but I pretty much would never recommend this place.

BLAAAAAAAAAAAND.

Ouisi Bistro

3014 Granville Street

Vancouver, BC

http://www.ouisibistro.com/

I will find the picture of the trout and get it up shortly.  Sorry.

Matt liked his burger but  hoped that they could hook a guy up with some garnish, fries, or even a cut up tomato.  Come on Quisi spend the 50 cents and make the plate at least  look nice.