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| Zante Town |
One Saigon (Vancouver, Canada)
Lucky for me, I have a Vietnamese restaurant literally in my backyard. One Saigon is a tiny restaurant offering different specials every day of the week (including phos, Vietnamese sandwiches and shrimp spring rolls). The best part is that it is fast and cheap…making it a great place for a quick work lunch.
One Saigon is located on Hornby street just across from the Vancouver Court House.
One Saigon is located on Hornby street just across from the Vancouver Court House.
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| Beef Ball Pho |
Oman Impressions (Oman)
Last year I visited Oman. If you are a fan of impressive landscapes, whether on land or under water, this is definitely the place to visit. While snorkeling, I felt like swimming in an aquarium right in the middle of crowds of huge (and admittedly a bit scary) moray eels, cute little box fish, beautiful rays and tons of other brightly colored fish. Happy!
Hiking in the vast, bare mountains, past old deserted stone villages, steep canyons and in the wadis (oasis) I felt awestruck by the natural beauty surrounding me.
And walking through the bazaars and forts provided me with all the fragrant scents, abundant friendliness and historical sense this country has to offer. In the winter (October – February) the climate is mild and perfect for a bit of exploring. Enjoy a few of my impressions.
Note to self: I definitely want an underwater camera.
Sunday Wine (Zakynthos, Greece)
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| Yup, that’s red wine from the tap. Genius. |
Jules French Bistro: Save your money and RUN! Horrible service by rude staff…(serving overpriced food) (Vancouver, Canada)
Dear Readers,
I usually don’t write reviews on places I absolutely dislike but I really feel that its my duty to tell the world about this horrible place in order to save them their money, peace of mind and time.
Jules French Bistro claims to have french food and apparently french attitude?
What can I say about this place? In a city with amazing restaurants at every corner there is NO need to put up with this sort of service anywhere. After all we are not in France and even in France they don’t treat you as badly as the host treated us last night (and I should know- I lived in Paris for 2 years and NOWHERE in Paris were staff so outrageously RUDE).
An old diva with dyed blonde hair is the host or manager at this place and he was not only rude to us but every single person that walked in the restaurant. No wonder they were about to close for business a few years ago. With that sort of attitude this man is chasing the customers away (he definitely chased us away last night). Reservations were made for 8:30 for a group of 7. We arrived at 8:25 to have the nasty host tell us we were early and walked away. Then the rest of our party arrived except our one friend who was at home putting her newborn to bed. Our table was clearly not ready at 8:30. We waited around until 9 pm… having not been acknowledged by anyone at the restaurant we asked when our table would be ready. We were told that our entire party wasnt there. We asked if our table was ready and he said NO. So what difference would it make if our friend arrived when there was nowhere to seat us in the first place? At any other restaurant the host would probably apologize for not having a table ready for us when reservations were made for 8:30. However here we were to blame because one of our friends had not arrived even when a table was not available. His complete arrogance and tone of voice added to the disappointment. The host was so rude we ended up turning around and leaving to Cobre ( A much better ambiance and food) and the host said to us: SEE YA!
Clearly we are not the only ones that feel this way about this disrespectful rude man at this restaurant… I checked out reviews on this place and most people have had similar treatment by the same host. There should be a law against allowing men like him to interact with customers. Word to the owners if you want to stay in business perhaps you should think about hiring a new host with an agreeable attitude!!!!
Dinner at the Port (Zakynthos, Greece)
Last time we visited our favorite island Zakynthos, we decided to eat at the main port of the island. I’ve passed by this place each and every time I set foot on the island, but had never considered a tavern at this busy transport hub to be a good choice for a nice dinner out. So boy, was I surprised when I noticed the lovely nautical decor, including some amazing vintage pieces I was ready to take home then and there (the radio! the fan!). All this prettiness nicely hidden from the travelers coming and going from the ferries. Our food was well prepared, the wine local and the sunset very agreeable. My favorites: the grilled veggies and the stuffed sardines.
Komis Fish Tavern is not the cheapest option in town, but it’s well worth the experience. Supposedly their bathrooms are a sight in and of itself. I have to admit though that not every guest was as big a fan of two of Ratatouille’s friends checking out the grounds once darkness had set…
Breakfast with an attitude at the Elbow Room (Vancouver, Canada)
This restaurant has been around for ages (although it has moved around a few times). It has stood the test of time…even with the development of the Yaletown neighborhood and blocks of old buildings being replaced by shiny new Yaletown condos (including my beloved DV8..sigh).
The experience at the Elbow Room is like no other. As soon as you walk through the doors you are greeted by a group of eclectic servers and hosts. It is the most entertaining dining experience to say the least. Our server was hilarious. They are known for being a tad bit rude and playing around so if you are not in the mood to be humoured you may want to dine somewhere else.
Breakfast at the Elbow Room is one of the best in the city. They offer a wide variety of eggs-benedicts, pancakes and omelets amongst many other dishes. I thought the prices were a bit high given that many breakfast joints offer same if not similar food for way cheaper. However, perhaps they have had to adopt the yaletown mentality on this one. Either way I’m never one to complain about prices when the food is just soooo good. It makes it all worth it.
On this particular occasion I opted for eggs Benedict topped with blue cheese and cheddar. It was To Die For.
Attention All Ramen Lovers, have you heard about Motomachi Shokudo? (Vancouver, Canada)
Last night I discovered a secret Japanese gem. I guess I can’t really take credit for discovering it since my fellow foodie/partner in crime took me to this place. For those who know me well, they know that I love all things Asian from Hello Kitty, to any time of day dim sum, Chinese night markets, Japanese animation, and more generally all things Japanese. So it won’t come as a surprise to hear that I have yet again fallen in love with a Japanese restaurant. It’s called Motomachi Shokudo (located on 740 Denman Street between Alberni and Robson) in Vancouver, Canada. It is the newer sister restaurant of Kintaro’s Ramen which is just two doors down.
I tried the spicy chicken ramen, or in other words: a large bowl of deliciousness. This place uses organic ramen and is MSG-Free. The bowl was filled to the rim with lotus root, leeks, bamboo shoots and other vegetable delights. Of course the best part was the ramen noodles and the tasty broth. Definitely one of the best ramen joints I have ever been to, and based on my love of all things Asian you can be sure that I have tried Ramen at many different venues.
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I could not finish my bowl. 🙁
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We also tried the Gyoza’s but in all honesty I have tried better. My favorite Gyoza spot in Vancouver is just a few blocks away, Gyoza King. (I’ll definitely have to make a whole new entry for Gyoza King, its one of my favourite spots in Vancouver.) But back to the Ramen at hand:
All in all, Motomachi is a must-try for ramen lovers, especially the spicy chicken ramen. I will be back to try the other types of ramen bowls (including the black bamboo charcoal ramen). This is a definitive Vancouver-style ramen joint with its own personality, and a bowl that leaves you bursting full (to the point that some may have to pop that top jean button to make more room). Until my next foodasmic experience.
Sunday at the Boat (Ionian Sea, Greece)
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| On our way to Zakynthos! |
La Isla des Mujeres (The Island of Women) (Mexico)
While in Cancun, we decided to take a day trip to the island just off the coast…La Isla Mujeres (the Island of Women). A quick bus ride, ferry and a skip away and we found ourselves on the Island surrounded by Mexican tour guides attempting to lure us in. If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Cancun but aren’t willing to travel south to the Mayan riviera, then I highly suggest taking a day trip to Isla des Mujeres. It’s a very charming, small, and laid back island with great beaches and food.
There are two different ferry terminals from Cancun that take you to the Island. We went to Puerto Juarez and took the Gran Puerto ferry boats which were fast and affordable. Once at the Island, we were immediately on the look out for food, and found the small, charming and family run Mexican restaurant called Amigos. We then walked around Centro which is covered by small local shops and made our way to the the north of the island (by foot) to Playa Norte- which is just minutes away from the ferry terminal. Playa Norte is a beautiful small beach with crystal clear water and local beach bars.
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| Off to the distance you can see the Cancun strip of hotels. |
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| Cliff of the Dawn- Most eastern point of Mexico |
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| An Iguana enjoying his view or contemplating his/her suicide |
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| Cafe Mango- closed the day we went but known for its tasty fresh food. |
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| Isla Mujeres grocery store |
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| Playa del Nore |
After a day at the beach, we rented a golf cart to tour the beautiful island. We headed south to the Mayan ruins located at the southern most tip of the island. Definitely take the time to rent a golf car to tour the island. We got off at Punta Sur and strolled through the ocean walkway to the bottom. It was truly breathtaking.