The Dime Roundhouse- Everything on Menu $4.95

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Romina Moradi

-The owner of The Famous Warehouse & The Factory have recently opened The Dime. It’s only 3 months old and everything on the menu is $4.95. Yes, everything.

-The Dime replaces the once ” Rocco” Italian Restaurant on the busy strip of Commercial st.

-Prime location but lots and lots of surrounding competition. Although, at $4.95, I doubt competition will be a problem.

p.s I apologize for the quality of the photos in this post! I didn’t have my SLR, so bare with my phone-quality photos.

Small Girl BIG Plate Scale:

1.Don’t waste your money 2.Mediocre 3. Good 4.Very good 5.Nobel Prize Worthy

Items up for Review:

Maple Bacon Gnocchi $4.95

3/5 (Good)

- Loved the flavor combination, or should I say the “sounding “of the flavor combination. I couldn’t taste either Maple or Bacon. But the Gnocchi was nicely prepared and the sauce was creamy and stuffed with fresh herbs—making it easy for me to give this dish a 3/5.

- What would have stepped this dish up to a 4/5 would have been a touch more of maple syrup and perhaps some sprinkled bacon salt.

Pulled Pork Sandwich $4.95

3/5 (Good)

- The bun was soft and the pork was well prepared (slowly cooked until melt-in-mouth tender). The pork was marinated in curry spices.

-This sandwich tasted quite similar to Ensemble Taps $10.00 Pulled Pork Sandwich. However, I can guarantee that Etaps quality of food is incomparable to whatever The Dime uses.

-The sandwich apparently had an apple & papaya slaw, but I couldn’t taste it. It was overpowered by the BBQ sauce, and there wasn’t enough of it to provide that desirable ”crunch”. Shame.

The Dime Burger ; Canadian Beef, Cheddar, Toasted Bun, Roasted Pepper Mayo, all the fixings and a side of Fries. $4.95

3.5/5 (Good -Very Good)

-The burger patty was extremely juice. No, seriously—extremely juicy. It was very good. However, the beef patty was perfectly round (suspiciously round)–which most of the time means it’s not made fresh in house. This may be a given at $4.95 though.

-Most restaurants state the grade of beef used in their burger, well, if they are using a high grade that is. So, I think “Canadian Beef” is our que here. But, we still need to take a moment and realize that this meal is cheaper than Mcdonalds (and so much better in all aspects) .

- I loved the fries that accompanied both sandwiches. They were crispy and well seasoned. I have respect for restaurants that don’t over-salt their fries.

Many of you asked me to compare The Famous Warehouse and The Dime, so as requested—here is my two cents:

-The quality of food is much, much better at The Dime. Also, the menu is a lot more interesting. It was evident that more thought was put into the food. Ex. The Dime Burger had Red Pepper Mayo rather than just regular mayo.

-The ambiance of The Famous Warehouse and The Dime are near identical. I would call these joints “bars” rather than “restaurants”. Both have extremely dim lighting and laid-back vibes.

-Both spots have a$4.95 menus (The Factory has a $5.95 menu). Many of you asked me how this is so, and from what I’ve heard, both restaurants take losses on food and make them up through alcohol. This doesn’t surprise me– as the drinks were quite overpriced.

-The service is equally terrible at both. You need to hunt a server to get your water refilled. But bottom line is that you pay what you get for. I don’t go to the Dime or the Warehouse for superior service but rather for a tasty and affordable meal.

Love always,

R x

CRAY Kitchen & Bar

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Romina Moradi

Cray Kitchen & Bar is a brand new restaurant that has opened its doors on the corner of Broadway & Main st. It’s the first to serve up Louisiana style seafood in Vancouver.

Small Girl BIG Plate Scale:

1.Don’t waste your money 2.Mediocre 3. Good 4.Very good 5.Nobel Prize Worthy

Items up for review:

1. Cod Nuggets $.9.99

4/5 ( Very Good )

-The server recommeneded this dish to us and I can see why it would be the most popular appetizer.The cod was extremely tender and had the perfect deep fried crunch.

-Fries were also nice and crunchy. This dish came with ketchup & also a side of special-house mayo dip which was very tasty.

-What’s holding me back from giving this dish a 5/5 is the number of cod peices. I didn’t feel as though 5 cod nuggets were enough for $9.99.

2. Crawfish with Cray Mix ( mixture of cajun +garlic butter + lemon pepper ) $13.99/lb

4/5(very good)

-The Crawfish are served in a plastic bag. There’s about 40 of these guys per bag and they were supsringly filling.

-They’re quite a bit of work to eat but are so unbelievably worth it. The meat is extremely tender. Sucking on the head also releases great flavors.

-Crawfish is the specialty at Cray Restaurant–it’s a must order, at least on your first visit. It’s hard to find Crawfish, especially ones that are shipped all the way from Louisana in Vancouver.

3. Atlantic Lobster with Garlic Butter (19.99/lb) must order minimum of 2lb

4.5/5 (Very Good- Noble Prize Worthy)

-The lobster was very fresh and the meat was extremely juicy . This dish was all around to-die-for.

-In fact, I preferred this dish over the Crawfish. However, I would still recommend that you order the Crawfish over the lobster because it’s unique to this restaurant and hard to find elsewhere.

-The garlic-butter was a good seasoning choice for the lobster. I felt as though the cray mix (which we ordered for the crawfish) would have overpowered the delicacy of the lobster meat.

-You must order at least 2 lb of the Lobster.

4. Hot Fudge Chocolate Cake $5.99.

1/5 (Don’t waste your money)

-The cake was in no way moist and lacked both flavor and fudge. Sadly, the ice cream had freezer burn! This dish was not worth ordering to me.

Conclusion & Cray Restaurant Must-Knows

-Cray is just one week old but already has exceptional service and food in place.

-The ambiance is extremely laid back and cups & cutlery are all plastic. This is done for easier clean up. I could see many people bringing up environmental complaints in the future–however, I felt as though the plastic was a good idea. Maybe there is a more eco-friendly route (1/2 plastic 1/2 another material) that Cray could consider using instead.

-Overall this restaurant offers a unique dining experience that is difficult to find anywhere else in Vancouver. It’s all hands on at Cray, you get down and dirty with your meal! My biggest recommendation: order the crawfish!

-R x

Sushi Bella : A Restaurant Review

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Romina Moradi

Like any true Vancouverite I adore sushi. In fact, I am ~~in love~~ obsessed with it. I think about sushi at least a couple times a day and need to consume it at least twice a week to satisfy my needy cravings. It really gets me wondering what they put in the soy sauce….

The problem with Vancouver, though, is that there are so many sushi restaurants that it has become difficult to distinguish between the so-so quality sushi and that which is unforgettable.

Lucky for you, my sushi cravings have led me to find some of the greatest Sushi joints in Vancouver. One of my all time favorites being Sushi Bella located in the heart of Lonsdale, North Vancouver. It is a remarkable restaurant which offers something beyond what other Vancouver sushi joints have to offer: a menu inspired by the fusion of both French & Japanese cuisine.

The ambiance of this restaurant is lovely and has a rather cozy at-home feel. Most importantly, however, this place looks clean and doesn’t cause you to second guess ordering the tuna sashimi.

Here is a little taste of what I got to try:

Starting from the far left is the..

1.Crazy California Roll ; Deep fried California roll with crazy sauce $7

This roll is absolutely amazing! The concept is similar to the Captain Crunch roll at the Eatery -but much better in every way possible. The crab was fresh and even with being deep fried this roll was still able to maintain its delicacy. The crazy sauce was mind blowing– seriously wish I could buy containers of it and dip everything and anything in it all day long.

In the middle of the plate we have..

2.Crunchy go-go Roll; Double prawns and yam tempura, avocado, crunchy flake, chili mayo $6

At first, we had agreed on ordering this roll but had a change of heart right before the waiter had walked away. The waiter however had misunderstood and brought the roll for us anyway. When we had informed him of our change of mind- he kindly let us keep the roll and “try it out”. I am grateful I did get to give this a try- it was a great roll. The soft yam was a great combination with the crunchy tempura flakes. The sweet chilli sauce was to die for and really brought the whole dish together. Without the sauce, the roll would not be worth ordering.

Lastly- on the far right we got to try…

3. Spicy Tuna Roll $4

This was not a specialty roll- however, I would call it more than just your typical spicy tuna roll. Much more credit needs to be given! I could tell the tuna was top quality as it just melted in my mouth with each bite. The spicy sauce had a great bite to it and was not overwhelming.

I have also visited the new Sushi Bella on West 4th, Kitslano and found the quality to be just as great. I will say however, that I enjoyed the setting & service of the Kits location much more. The staff at both locations were extremely friendly, however, at the Lonsdale location our server seemed in a frenzy and made no effort to check up on our table once the restaurant started to pick up for it’s dinner rush. This was rather dissapointing to me- as I heavily rate the success of a restaurant upon performances during stressful situations. I particularly keep an eye out for dinner rushes and then observe how the employees handle the scenario- most important being whether their stress emits to the diners.

Overall, Sushi Bella is one of my top Sushi Good Eats in Vancouver. Although the service is not always consistent- the food has always been top quality. It is one of my favorite sushi joints and I highly recommend that you die hard sushi fans give it a try.

xo romina

to die for.

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Romina Moradi

About a month ago I had the amazing privilege of meeting & dining with my foodie idol- Erin Ireland. I call her the Angelina Jolie of the food world; tall, beautiful, confident & can rock the YSL Rouge Pur #49 like its her job.

I have been following her blog for a few years and have always been so astonished as to how remarkable this food lover, writer & reporter is; let me tell you, she was even more lovely in person!

That night, I not only had the opportunity to meet Erin but also four more of Vancouver’s biggest foodies. Let me introduce you to these wonderful people- starting from the top left: Ned, one hell of an artist, photographer & physics mastermind who is now the perfect pronouncer of the word Gnoochi. Below Ned is Stephen, a quirky food lover, chiropractor, and owner of Jointworks Chiropractic on Main Street. Beside Stephen is the beautiful Jody; a loving wife, mother & rockstar. Yes, I said rockstar! This lady is seriously remarkable, you can check her band Balligomingo out on Youtube. Lastly, above the stunning Erin Ireland is Steven Kinsey, a big time hockey lover, music lover & BCIT student. The six of us were all unique but had one thing in common; the love of food.

We all met for the first time at Earls Restaurant In Bridge Park Burnaby and it was here where our memorable food experience had started! Within a few minutes of sitting down our drink orders were taken and an amazing Potato and Leek Soup was brought to the table. The soup was very creamy & each spoonful held the perfect amount of bacon & potato.

After getting to know each other over a few drinks & some amazing soup- we were next brought back to the pass through of the restaurant where a food journey had been set in place for us. Intrestingly, the back of the restaurant was a familiar feeling for Jody, Erin and I- as we had all previously worked at Earls!

The first station that was set up for us gave us a feel for the quality of ingredients that Earls Restaurant incorporates in each and every dish. We tasted their aged olive olive, fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, San Marzano Tomato Sauce and 18 month old Prosciutto!

After stuffing ourselves with high quality olive oils & tomato sauces we moved onto the next station where Chef Luke Skrzyniarz presented the new feature item on the Earls Menu; Tuna Poke Nachos. These were simply amazing. Honestly, may have been my favourite thing on the menu. The nachos were these light and crispy togarashi wontons and were topped with tuna, cucumber, avocado, sliced serranos & crushed macadamia nuts. The nachos were then drizzled with a tomato poke & spicy mango coulis. I highly recommend this dish- It sells for $11.50.

We next had the opportunity to watch Chef Luke make the Prawn Dyanmite rolls. Let me tell you, these truly were dynamite! They were loaded with light & crispy panko breaded prawns, mango, avocado and cucumber. They were then drizzled with a maple soy reduction and sriracha mayonnaise. If you know me well and know my obsession with sriracha- you can only imagine how excited I was!

At this point most people would have been full.. but for Vancouver’s six biggest foodies- our appetites had only just be woken!

Brought out next, was yet another new addition to the Earls Menu; Gnocchi with Italian Rose Sauce. Mmmmm this Gnocchi was so light & delicate. It was one of those dishes where a few simple ingredients had come together to create something extraordinary.

After the Gnocchi an intense battle of rock, paper & scissors between Stephen and I had won me the opportunity to cook one of my all time favorite Earls dishes- the Hunan Kung Pao!

Big thanks to Chef Luke for teaching me how to properly hold a wok!

Those veggies look perfectly cooked to me! =)

Next, was the dish I was crossing my fingers for on my way to Earls; The Braised Hickory Backed Ribs with Warm Potato Salad and Coleslaw. Clearly the Ribs Gods had answered my prayers and I was in foodie heaven for the full one and half minutes it took me to lick my plate clean.

My rule? Everything in moderation, except for ribs.

Finally, this whole experience was topped off with a moist & decadent warm gingerbread cake which was accompanied with grilled apples, salted caramel and vanilla bean gelato. In all seriousness, I still think about this dessert on a daily basis.

What an amazing time we all had! I am very grateful to have met all you quirky food loving Vancouverites! Big thanks to the lovely Erin Ireland, Chef Luke Skrzyniarz, General Manager Eric Holland & the best paparazzi I know- Spencrye.

This experience was simply, to die for.

xo romina

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