Waffle and Berries

Waffle and Berries

So a couple weeks ago, I was excited and ready to try this Waffle & Berries place I have heard so  much about. They close at 5pm on a weekend, so we decided to have a light morning snack, then head towards Downtown for some waffles at around 2pm. When we got there, we found out they ran out of waffles! I was really disappointed... So this weekend, we called them too many times throughout the morning to inquire about their waffle status. They reassured us they do have waffles, so we quickly sped there and was ready to devour some Belgian waffles.

Behind the counters.

Interior of Waffle & Berries.

When we got to Waffles & Berries, there were a couple of tables available. It appeared to be slowing down, so we just headed up to the counter and started to order. By the time we finished ordering, the tables were actually all filled up. My tip: grab a table, then head over to the counter to order. They are a coffee shop, so they do not take reservations. Similar to Starbucks, you order your coffee, then you seat yourself.

I was having a bit of difficulty deciding the toppings for my waffle. The servers all recommended the Belgian dark chocolate, strawberries, and whipped cream. The toppings are all additional charges. I am not a whipped cream fan, so I opt for the vanilla ice cream instead. But they sold out of ice cream that day, so I chose another berry for my waffle.

 

Liege Waffle: topped with Belgian dark chocolate, strawberries, and blueberries ($8.45)
In terms of appearance, the ones with whipped cream is definitely more appealing. But this combination was better than it appeared. The waffle is freshly made. It had a nice chew to it with a crunchy exterior and moist interior. If the waffle is eaten alone, it is actually quite sweet. So I definitely recommend the dark chocolate to complement the sweetness. The fruits were fresh, but it was not in season, so not as ripe and sweet as it can be. Not their fault though. In hindsight, I should have gotten the whipped cream for some additional moisture to this snack.

 

Liege Waffle: topped with nutella, blueberries, and blackberries ($8.45)
This combination is slightly more dry. I definitely prefer the drizzling Belgian dark chocolate over the nutella spread. Again, whipped cream or ice cream is recommended. But overall, these waffle and berries combination were quite tasty. The portion is actually quite large as compared to many other coffee shops. Definitely not a snack and can be a satisfying breakfast.

Belgium Milk Hot Chocolate ($3.95) - left
Belgium Dark Hot Chocolate ($3.95) - right
Both highly recommended by Hippo! Made with real chocolate pieces. You can actually see the chocolate solidifying in my last few sips. I really enjoyed my Dark Hot Chocolate with only a hint of sweetness, yet not bitter. It is actually quite thick and filling. Very comparable to the Blenz Belgium Dark Hot Chocolate. When I tried Meko's Milk Hot Chocolate, it has the same consistency, but definitely sweeter. From the flavour, it appears they have used Belgium Dark Chocolate pieces and also condensed milk as the sweetener. Very delicious with great aroma.

My friend also visited Waffle & Berries with his girlfriend. Above is his photo of waffles with mixed berries, dark chocolate, and whipped cream! Photo credits to Flash.

A few outdoor seating for the warmer summer days!

Location: On West Pender Street, off Nicola Street. It is the Coal Harbour area, so the majority of the parking is paid street meter. Price is not as bad as I thought it would be, it is $2 per hour. On a nice sunny day, a walk down to the nearby seawall is perfect with a cup of coffee.

Food: Freshly made and tasty. Generous portions. Great sweet treat and options for those who prefer their food and drinks to be less sweet.
Service: The drinks are served in the front counter. However, they do bring the waffles to your table and collect your plates afterwards.
Price: We had a Groupon that cost us only $15 with tax for the above two waffles and drinks.
Recommended? Great coffee shop to relax or catch up with a friend.

- Hippo


Waffle & Berries
1467 West Pender Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-710-5279

La Belle Patate

It is a casual Saturday night, just chilling with the boys. Of course, these bottomless pit guys are always starving. So at like 1 am, someone thought it was a great idea to consume some carbs and fatten ourselves up with some poutine. "Did you know La Belle Patate directly translates into the beautiful potato?" is the first thing Panda said to me when he suggested heading downtown for a late night snack.

Honestly, I have yet to dine at a specialty poutine restaurant. Does New York Fries count? Probably not. La Belle Patate serves authentic Quebecois cuisine. I was half excited and half worried that I will turn to a big pieces of fat the next morning. Nonetheless, I am always down for food - despite the time and place. Knowing that it is almost 2 am, I most definitely will not be finishing a whole plate of poutine to myself. I opt to share with my friend and asked him to surprise me.

La Belle Poutine: smoked meat, beef ($12)
There are two options for sizes with this specialty poutine (medium or large). I believe this is a large size. My goodness, it was HUGE. It was packed with fries in the bottom mixed with gravy. Then topped with cheese curds, smoked meat, and beef. It was so good! The smoked meat was delicious. The fries were fresh and crunchy. The gravy tasted fantastic! I personally prefer melted cheese, but cheese curd is the way to go for poutine. Very impressed!

The rest of the guys each ordered their own poutine.

If mine was large, I assume this is the medium size. This is in those container you find for most take out Chinese restaurants. It is massive and one of my friends actually finished it. He felt so disgusted when I showed him a picture of what he ate the next day! I liked how they serve it in a takeout container, since most people usually can not finish it in one sitting. Another one of my friends ate a few bites and packed it home. He microwaved the poutine the next day and said it still tasted great.

Location: On Davies Street, between Bute Street and Jervis Street. There are paid meter parking on Davies Street. I like the fact that it opens late every night.

Food: Great poutine. For the price you are paying, you are actually getting quality food. Unlike the junk you receive in fast food chains. I suggest sharing.
Service: Very quick. Despite being served in a take out container, they came out to our table and asked whether there is anything we needed.
Price: Approximately $6 to $13.50 for a poutine.
Recommended? Yes! I look forward to try their Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich on my next visit.

- Hippo


La Belle Patate
1215 Davie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-569-1215

Sushiholic

I have been to Sushiholic many times since it first opened its door back in late 2010. I always received great experience here, but this time I was a little disappointed. When we stepped in, we were seated right away. It was near the door, so it was chilly when the doors opened and closed, but it is a small restaurant, can't complain. We ordered a couple of nigiri to start and a few rolls to share. The nigiri came right away. The rolls however, took almost 30 minutes to come out.

Seared Toro Nigiri ($1.75/piece)
Very delicious and reasonably priced. Recommended by Hippo!

We were starving as 8pm was ticking by. There was 4 chefs standing behind the counter. Not all working though. I understand that each chef has their own specialty and cannot perform their own role until another chef has done their part. Finally, the California Roll and Yam Tempura Roll was served.

 

California Roll ($3.25) and Yam Tempura Roll ($3.75)
The California Roll was tasty. But I was very disappointed in the Yam Tempura Roll. It could have been a great roll with the inclusion of avocado and cucumber. The crispness of the tempura batter has gotten soft. My guess was that the yam was deep fried half an hour ago, but the sushi chef did not roll it up and serve it immediately. Letting a tempura sit for a while definitely makes it cold and soft. Not good at all.

A few minutes later, the Sushiholic specialty rolls came out together.

Red Roll: chopped scallop with mayo, cucumber, spicy tuna, and crispy bits on top ($8.95)
Both rolls as delicious as I remembered it. The Red Roll is actually my favourite. You can taste both the fresh scallops and the marinated spicy tuna. Recommended by Hippo!

Dragon Roll: prawn tempera, mayo, cucumber, avocado, crispy bits and unagi on top ($11.95)
The Dragon Roll was good as well, but I felt that it is pricey, considering we can't taste the prawn tempura, as the unagi and avocado flavour overpowered it. There should be a crunch from the tempura, but because it took so long for the chef to roll it up, there was no crunch and was just another soft, chewy texture.

In the end of the day, I still enjoyed the food. But it was not the best experience I had at Sushiholic. The food remains solid, other than the tempura portion. Perhaps they have a few new staff members? I will still return nonetheless.

Location: Quite convenient as it is off Highway 1, Rupert exit. Located on the corner of Broadway and Rupert Street. You can't miss it with the flashy red and white banner. There is approximately 5 parking spots in the back. But you can also park on Broadway and Rupert Street for free. Please note: they are closed between lunch and dinner hours.

Food: Very solid. Great food every time I come.
Service: Below average. We always had to ask for tea and request them to take our plates away.
Price: The total came to $35 with tax for two people.
Recommended? Despite the soggy tempura, I will still recommend this sushi joint!

- Hippo


Sushiholic
3311 East Broadway
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-879-4881

Cafe Crema

Cafe Crema is a family owned coffee shop at the heart of Ambleside. Located right by the waters. Many locals will grab a cup of coffee here and walk along the shore or just relax on the beach. I just grabbed a quick breakfast to go. Notice that the photo is taken on a brown paper bag!

Breakfast Sandwich: eggs and bacon
Very satisfied. The eggs are seasoned with black pepper and the bacon is not over cooked until it is dried and crispy.

My first few bites.

Food: I enjoyed the breakfast sandwich.
Service: Friendly and amiable.
Recommended? I actually like many of the small and cozy coffee shops in Ambleside. Such as Savary Island Pie Company and Amadeo on Marine Drive.

- Hippo


Cafe Crema
1495 Bellevue Avenue
West Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-922-2294

Motomachi Shokudo Ramen

On this beautiful sunny day, I thought it will be the perfect day to force Meko to go downtown for some shopping! I usually dislike heading downtown, due to the inconvenience of parking spots. But of course, there only two things that will bring me to downtown: Ramen and Holt Renfrew. Which both requirements were satisfied today. Yay! Our first stop was Pacific Centre. Then around 1:30pm, we walked to Waffles and Berries for a snack. When we got there, we found out they sold out of waffles for the day. Slightly angry and immensely hungry, I suggested Motomachi Shokudo for some ramen!! It's been a while since we have been there; I needed a refresher before I write this blog post.

Exterior of Motomachi Shokudo

Inerior of Motomachi Shokudo

As Meko and I walked down Robson Street, we passed by Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, which had a short line up. And Kintaro Ramen had a long line up as usual. The line up is one of the reason why I prefer Motomachi Shokudo. You don't need to wait in the freezing cold first for a very tasty bowl of ramen at a good price! The current hype for ramen in Vancouver is Santouka Ramen and Kintaro Ramen, whereas Motomachi Shokudo is not as well-known. It is tucked closer to Alberni Street, so most people will not walk pass it unless you are heading to Stanley Park.

Motomachi Shokudo feature ramen with a lighter broth. It is not as thick and rich as the ones you will find in Kintaro Ramen. Even the "light" ramen in Kintaro Ramen is comparatively more rich. This is because Kintaro Ramen's broth is all pork based. The broth in the ramen of Motomachi Shokudo is actually chicken based. Pork is generally fatter and create a richer and more flavourful taste in soups. The usage of chicken is healthier, as it is not as fattening.

New Generation Miso Ramen ($9.45)
Blend of four types of miso. This bowl of miso ramen is topped with Japanese leek, green onion, bamboo shoots, corn, a lot (I mean A LOT) of bean sprout, and a single piece of cha-shu. The noodles has a good chewy bounce to it. The broth itself is flavourful, yet not heavily greasy.

Extra Cha-Shu Miso Ramen ($11.45)
Cha-shu is BBQ pork. Very reasonably priced. For $2 more, you are getting 4 extra pieces of cha-shu (shoulder and back rib) and seaweed. I actually like the cha-shu from Motomachi Shokudo the most when comparing with other ramen shops (excludes toroniku from Santouka Ramen). It has a better marble blend of lean meat and fat, hence it is not too dry and not too overwhelmingly fatty in certain bites.

Light Miso Broth Ramen

Recall my previous post. For the Robson Street and West End area, I ranked my ramen satisfaction in the following order:

1. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
2. Motomachi Shokudo
3. Kintaro Ramen
4. Benkei Ramen

Santouka Ramen has my number one vote because of the delicious melt-in-your-mouth toroniku (pork cheeks) and tasty pork broth. However, their regular cha-shu is actually inferior when comparing it to Motomachi Shokudo's cha-shu. If I only had $10 to spend on a bowl of ramen, I will head over to Motomachi Shokudo. Otherwise, a bowl of Tokusen Toroniku Ramen will make me very happy, costing $15. I personally find Kintaro Ramen a bit too rich and greasy for my taste, but I do have my occasional craving for their yummy Cheese Ramen! It is all personal preference, so leave a comment stating which is your favourite ramen shop :)

Extra charge for green tea.

Location: On Denman Street and Alberni Street. Just a few stores north of Kintaro Ramen. Generally has a short line up (approximately 15 minutes). The whole store only seats 18 people. Please note: they only accept cash and debit. There is also a $1 charge for green tea.

Food: Delish light ramen that is a healthier-option. Cha-shu is very good.
Service: The waitresses were not very attentive. However, the kitchen was speedy; we received our ramen shortly after ordering.
Price: We spent a total of $26 with tax for an afternoon lunch snack.
Recommended? Yes! Read above regarding my comparison of downtown ramen shops.

- Hippo


Motomachi Shokudo 元町食堂
740 Denman Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-609-0310