A Very Happy Hour at Joe Fortes

Just when I thought my summer/fall vacationing was coming to an end, a spontaneous trip back to Vancouver occurred! Yes, stay tuned for some more co-blog posts with Amy and Steven!

One night, after eating at the must-visit Ebisu,  I mentioned my craving for oysters and a friend offered to research oyster bars in Vancouver (Thanks, Dom!). After some discussion, we decided on Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House, mainly for its  $1 fresh local oysters and half price appetizers (who can say no that?!). 

In order to enjoy the happy hour offer (4-6pm, Monday-Friday), you have to sit at the bar. As you can see, we could barely fit everything on our table, but we definitely took full advantage of the sweet deal. 

Love At First Bite: Cafe Medina

Go ahead Vancouverites, tell me to hang my head in shame. What could be so bad for me to condone myself to public shaming you say? It could be the fact that I'm often times too lazy to blog. Or it could be the fact that I only very recently discovered Cafe Medina, despite living here for...oh just most of my life. To top it all off, I actually only discovered this place because a certain visitor of Vancouver had eaten here in the past and wanted to go again. And I call myself a food blogger...

Lavender Latte (8oz) $3.85

Sawasdee Thai

Friends? Check. Date and time? Check. Restaurant...? A quick search on Urbanspoon turned up what seems to be a local favorite, winning over the hearts of 92% of voters -- Sawasdee Thai. I've read that this place was not what it used to be, but never mind that, because it was still packed on a wednesday night!

Sawasdee Fried Rice $10.50

First to arrive on our table was the Sawasdee Fried Rice. I didn't have high expectations for this dish because ultimately, it's just fried rice. However, by the end of the night, we came to a mutual agreement that this was probably the winner of all the dishes!

Montréal is Food Heaven Series: Cacao 70

After brunch at Olive Et Gourmando and dinner at Reuben's Deli, it's time for dessert at Cacao 70! 

To get the full Cacao experience, we ordered the Sharing Sharing for two. The entire set can be split into two parts, as showed in the two photos. The first part includes strawberries, brownies, chocolate hazelnut wafers, graham crackers and milk chocolate fondue served with a personal grill to roast marshmallows (pictured left).

I had a lot of fun grilling my marshmallow and tried to make s'mores with the fondue chocolate but ended up creating quite a chocolatey mess (which still tasted amazing). The strawberries were very fresh and sweet and it didn't seem like they were soaked in sugar water before served. The wafers and brownie however, didn't seem as fun and special as everything else. 

Montréal is Food Heaven Series: Reuben's Deli

When you think of Montreal, many think of smoked meat, and when you think of smoked meat, the first place that usually comes to mind would be Schwartz's. Schwartz's is great, but I'd like to introduce you to Reuben's Deli, which in my opinion, has smoked meat that is just as great. 

The first time I visited Montreal and ate at Reuben's, I stumbled upon it and was not under the impression that is a famous or popular restaurant. However, my second visit this time changed my views. When we arrived at the place on a night of a weekday, there was a long line up and we even saw a set with big bright lights and giant video cameras. There was a person speaking in front of the camera as they filmed the chefs making smoked meat sandwiches behind the counter. Their sandwiches looked very impressive and I swear there were 15 slices of meat in one! 

Montréal is Food Heaven Series: Olive Et Gourmando

Bonjour! Instead of going back to Vancouver this summer, I took a short vacation to Montreal. This is my second time visiting and this trip has further strengthened my belief in Montreal being the ultimate food heaven (at least in North America). To try to convince you, I am starting a series that will feature my top picks.

So, without further ado, let's get right into the first restaurant of this series! 

Amy and I are big Urbanspoon users, and we often use it to scout out new restaurants. With 700+ voters and 90% of them liking it (I'm one of them!), Olive Et Gourmando probably has by far the most votes I have seen on Urbanspoon. Naturally, this place was at the top of my to-eat list when I was in Montreal. (Also, thanks for the recommendation, Jo!) 

It was a weekday when we went, but the place was still packed with people waiting to get in. The front part of the restaurant is the breakfast and beverage area where you order and then either have it there or take out. 

The back of the restaurant is where the "real" food is served. The most famous are their paninis, with 3 cold ones and 3 hot ones to choose from. Their entire menu, which is written on the chalkboard, was in French so it took us a while to figure out what we wanted.