late night with La Belle Patate

Name: La Belle Patate
Address: 1215 Davie Street
Cuisine: fast food, fries, poutine, beer, montreal smoked meat
Price point: budget, combos <$15
Hours: Monday-Sunday 11:00am - late
My experience:
This is probably one of those meal reviews that my parents will just hate that I consumed. Oh well, too late now...If you know me at all, there are a handful of things that I love...
Edamame
sashimi - mainly sockeye
rice
salt
miso soup
trail mix
grilled cheese
mum's soups
mum's cooked apples (essentially apple pie filling)
renee's blue pear dressing and...
fries!
Yep, I have very random tastes but I like what I like. Anyway, this week I signed up last minute to do my tennis instructors course in North Van. Shoulda done this years ago, but oh well, better late than never. I felt the recent desire to connect with my tennis roots again, and network with a community that I once thrived off of...How does this pertain to food?? Well, I have about 6 hours of homework to complete in one day.....that is my last minute punishment. So at about 11pm last night, I needed something to keep me up. I thought about what I was craving, and that cheesey an salty dish of poutine just called my name!
So I dashed up to belle patate for a smoked meat poutine and a coke zero. What I love about this place is the in our face Quebecness....the staff are french, the food is quebec inspired an there is montreal jerseys and memorabilia. So how was my snack??
Oh dear it was worth it!!! I've never had the smoked meat in it before but lord that was fantastic!!! Those salty pieces of meat with the cheese and the gravy, what more could I ask for (I still need to try the breakfast one)?!?!?!?!?
It was a medium, and on special for something like $8.50, but it lasted me through the entire night, and most of the morning as I typed away!
For fries, i usually enjoy Fritz with a Garlic Lovers mayo but I can never park around there, so this was a quicker option.



Reasons to visit: Close to home, tasty, warm, comforting, very friendly service, meme si vous parlez francais!
Reasons not to visit: Not diet friendly, kinda pricey, parking my be hard
Extras: J'aime beaucoup!

Benkei on Robson - Yummy Ramen!!!

Name: Benkei Ramen
Address: 1741 Robson St, Vancouver BC (robson and denman ish visited, other locations also)
Cuisine: ramen, some appys (gyoza, onigiri, etc)
Price point: budget, combos <$10
Website: none but it's coming
Hours: Monday-Sunday 11:00am - 8:00pm ish (closed in the middle)
My experience:
What more do you want? Unless you are on the Atkins/South Beach/Dr. Bernstein diet, this is a place for yummy noodles, warm broth and salty love! This triforce of ramen that is Robson and Denman rocks!! And Benkei does it very well.
My order usually includes an order of gyoza, shrimp mostly, sometimes pork....very good! It's about $3.50, and they are just right, nothing groundbreaking but better than the ones at Robson Sushi..ugh....
My ramen of choice is most often the Shio plus an egg and menma (crunchy low calorie bamboo) or corn (depends on my mood). I love the saltiness, warm soup and the aldente but chewy noodles! The taste of pork comes through very well and the comforting salty broth makes one forget about the likely rainy day outside. The miso ramen is just as pleasing, rich and salty as well but it really depends on what you want. Since spicy food makes me sweat and feel really uncomfortable, I usually avoid this, but many love this dish nonetheless.
They also provide the usual complementary green tea and water as well as garlic and chili to season your soup accordingly. Trust me, I garlic it up in a major way....

They also have punch cards, and for frequent diners, this is a good thing! Again, Japanese servers and cooks yelling greetings and thank yous, typical of the west end, make you feel like you are downtown Tokyo and not Vancouver!
This is about $7.00, and I usually add an egg and something else, about 50 cents each. Definitely affordable carbs and comfort! It can get busy, but nothing like Kintaro, and it's cheaper! The pork is yummy, nothing like the fatty Kintaro servings, but I may live a smidgen longer!!
Servers are more than friendly, and the Japanese girls remind me of what my mummy was like once-upon-a-time!


Reasons to visit: Good value, comfort noodles, friendly service, free green tea, quick in-and-out dining, , close to my home ;), clean, simple, great for solo dining.
Reasons not to visit: Low carb diet you are on (Yoda speak) and they don't much accomodate that, if you are scared of young Japanese yelling friendly hello's(you should avoid the west end ASAP), it's hot out, and warm noodles will overwhelm you, you don't like salty, savory pork and broth and finally, you suck with chopsticks!
Extras: cute place, love it a lot and frequent it weekly!!

Starbucks...love love love to confuse them

Name: Starbucks
Address: 785 Denman Street Vancouver BC (Robson and Denman)
Cuisine: coffee, tea, baked goods, free wireless and refills on coffee and tea (with free registered card)
Price point: coffee, desserts <$10
Hours: Open 7 days, 6:00am-9:00pm (open a bit later on Fridays and Saturdays if busy)
Website: www.starbucks.ca

My experience:





So I love coffee, and tea....and yummy baked goods. Moving to Vancouver means that I can throw a yoga mat in the air and it will land on some form of a coffee shop, be it Blendz, Starbucks, Cafe Artigiano, Waves not so much TimmyHo or Second cup but I'll live. Even McDonalds has passable coffee!! Culture shock for a prairies girl!
So, I love to have my warm drinks, not so much the super sweet blended ones (I am a bit of a calorie phobe that way) and at the 'bucks they accommodate me and my demands!
Well first off, I have a registered card..meaning that sugar free syrups and refills and the like are complementary! You also get free 2hr wireless!!! Saweet when I want to get out of the apartment or the chatty roommate or people watch.
I go to the one on the corner of Robson and Denman almost daily. The baristas know me by face and drink and I have converted many a barista both at this location as well as the Bidwell and Robson one. I've seen homeless people accost these workers (those that cling their cans at all hours of the night/morning).
Oh well.... as I write this, they are playing the Dixie Chicks and Michael Buble....what more do you want!?!?!??!
So what am I ordering? It depends on my mood....
If it's tea it's..get your pen ready.....
Venti Tea Soy Misto one bag Zen one bag Chai with sugar free vanilla and 3 packs of splenda!
Oh it's divine!!
If it's coffee it's a toss up...
Either
Venti decaf coffee with sugar free caramel and soy milk with 3 packs of splenda and a bit of cinnamon...
or
Venti decaf Americano with sugar free syrup (depends on my mood) and soy misto with 3 packs of splenda.

Yep, I'm that high maintenance.... Not really, but I am allergic to dairy and I always go for sugar free syrup when I can. Also, decaf is better for your insulin regulation...little factoid for you!! So what is this drink? It's a venti decaf coffee with sugar free vanilla and soy milk (about 1 inch).
Try it!! Sooo yummy....and I like this place because they have soy milk..since I have an aversion to dairy among other food allergies. If you are looking for some treats, I've tried the spinach and feta wrap, the banana bread is yummy and the chocolate and oat bars are good too. The Christmas cranberry bars are always a treat too, but all that does some damage on the waistline!!


Reasons to visit: Solid, reliable, and consistent drinks. You can have exactly what you want and its almost the exact same every time. They let you stay as long as you want, good for meetings and coffee dates, people watching and chilling out for a while. If you have a registered card, you get 2 hrs of free wireless to...oh I don't know, blog, or study or facebook or tweet or whatever....Also, you can order a crazy drink or two and enjoy being a little high maintenance without being udged too harshly! Oh and if you like soy milk or sugar free syrups!
Reasons not to visit: You don't like bitter coffee, the "man", paying a premium for coffees or lattes, indulging in complicated coffee type drinks...
Extras: The baristas see me walk in and know that they have to get their sharpies out for a 12 step (jk) drink.....but they always have a smile on their faces!! And this location has some very nice baristas!!!

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lunch @ Sushi Mart

from the website
Name: Sushi Mart
Address: 1668 Robson Street Vancouver BC (robson and bidwell ish)
Cuisine: sushi, beer, some appys (sunomono, goma ae, edamame etc)
Price point: budget, combos <$10
Website: www.sushimart.com
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11:30am-8:00pm (closed Mondays)

My experience:

Living in the West End is spectacular! When I first moved here last year, I lucked out discovering this area of town. I wanted to live downtown, near a beach or two, tennis courts, grocery stores and a good sushi place or two. Oh and a Starbucks but really, that could be anywhere!!
So fast forward to my random move to pretty much the corner of Robson and Denman...need I say more??? Also, since I am still hunting for a consistent day job, I have many free lunches, and I (unlike many) love to dine solo. And since I know very few people in the city, that works out for me ust fine!!!
This particular adventure takes place only a block or so away. Oh Sushi Mart. Next to the new designer ramen place which I have yet to frequent!!! And across from Whole Foods' Capers so I can treat myself to an organic cocoa ball of yummy or carrot cake or something granola like that!!
This is simplicity done well. Young and super friendly Japanese workers who are always happy to see you and converse with you no matter how broken your Japanese is (since my mummy is Japanese, I have a handful of words I can say...it lasts me 5ish minutes).
If you stay, complementary green tea and miso soup is yours, if not, well you just get ridiculously inexpensive and fresh yumminess (I also like to make up words)!! The inside is clean, simple and basic, one long table on one side, less than 20 seats, and the cashier, sushi chefs and menu on the other. They also have a fresh sheet showing what beautiful fishies died recently to fill your tummy.
Being from Alberta, sockeye salmon sashimi was only a dream. Not here!! Oh is it ever good, and way too affordable! I've eaten almost everything on the menu, but have only taken the pictures for this post of Chirachi (I only recently decided to record my culinary experiences). I love love love good sushi rice, fresh sashimi, those marinated mushroom garnishes, daikon, and everything else in this bowl. It's a great size, and the fish are cut nice and plump! The tamago is good too and there is lots of fish roe too, which I love (although they always get stuck in my teeth). No matter! If only there were slices of avocado in this bowl....just because I love them with rice!!
This place can get busy at lunch for those on-the-go-day-job-type people who want a quick lunch so take out is a good option. On a nice day, there is ample scenic people watching spots in the area!! There is online ordering as well, and as an aspiring foodie, restaurants with good websites, and twitter updates on catches of the day, are just "on point"(Guy Fieri reference).
There's not much in the way of warm food, other than miso soup and edamame (which takes a long time) and I always feel guilty for ordering it when I can walk to Homa Market next door and steam some myself.

The Shrimp sunomono is also nice and the plump ebi is just right!!
For rolls, I usually stick to anything with the aforementioned avocado or masago, I'm told the unagi is good too! The combos rock too, lots of sushi for more than reasonable cash, they also have Japanese beer and the usual soda. Hmmmmm what more to say...........love it! Go there now, unless it's Monday because they are closed....like today :(

Reasons to visit: Good value, fresh sushi, friendly service, free miso soup, quick in-and-out dining, party trays to enhance your popularity at your next dinner party, close to my home ;), clean, simple, great for solo dining.
Reasons not to visit: You don't like sushi, craving more warm or fried Japanese food (tempura, teriyaki meats etc.), it's a recession and your kraft dinner is calling your name...
Extras: cute place, love it a lot and frequent it weekly!!

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