NEW RESTAURANT 2017 | Kokomo / September 2, 2017 by Jenn Chan

"Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take ya. Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama. Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go? Jamaica, off the Florida Keys, there's a place called Kokomo. That's where you want to go to get away from it all."

If you're in North America's second largest Chinatown, located, proudly, in Vancouver, Kokomo is still a pretty delightful escape. The vegan, gluten-free mecca, "plant-focused cafe", Kokomo can be seen routinely sporting a line around the block. People clammer to dive into a heaping bowl of acai, granola and berries, a Hemp Caesar salad or a Coastal Macro bowl, their best seller, and wash it down with one their oh so healthy smoothies. Jenn indulged in the Coastal Macro bowl, which she devoured greedily, and I nibbled on the Hemp Caesar and washed it down with the Orange Dream smoothie which is simply to die for! Jenn himmed and hawed between the charcoal lemonade and the Lush Greens smoothie, but ultimately opted to see how charcoal's flavours marry lemonade's. She loved it, but we'll both be back for a nice healthy lunch before too long. Hopefully we'll see you there!

Lunch Spread: Hemp Caesar, Coastal Macro Bowl, Acai Bowl, Orange Dream Smoothie, Charcoal Lemonade

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Holy Crab! / March 29, 2017 by Jenn Chan

As you walk into Holy Crab's bright, modern space you're struck by the casual atmosphere not usually associated with their high end fare. Crabs and clams and mussels and lobsters dot the tables as bibs and gloves adorn the smiling guests. Whimsical how-to videos play on a loop on the tv's around the dining room and comical instruction guides 15 feet high dominate the back wall, we're in for some fun!

Our lovely server Crystal was keen to introduce herself and get our culinary adventure started. Evelyn, the manager, was similarly eager to make our acquaintance and, uncharacteristically of us, we let her order our entire meal! Minus the Hurricane IPA I requested, which was delicious, and the Stawberry Pom Mojito Crystal suggested for Jenn; both delicious! Seconds after our drinks arrived the surprises started to come as well. Seafood Chowder, amazing, and Seafood Bisque were first up followed quickly by Deep Fried Frog Legs and Crispy Soft Shell Crab. The chowder has a slightly sweet broth and was packed with seafood and potato; delicious! The bisque has a nice, light broth with a distinct, fresh flavour.

Frog legs are good, they just are! Caked in an incredible Cajun spice these were the best I have ever had! Go now, we'll wait. Good, right? I've yet to ever have a bad soft shell crab. If you haven't tried them you owe it to yourself. There's no messy de-shelling, not that, that isn't super fun anyway, but you simply grab and munch.

Speaking of the fun of de-shelling crustaceans... Just as I pop a wonderful soft shell crab into my mouth out swaggers Crystal with the main event; a 2.4 LBs Dungeness crab which looked like he probably gave the fishermen trying to reel his crab pot in a fight. Sturdy. The young man was sturdy. As food bloggers we enjoy, and greatly appreciate, certain perks. Our favourite on this night was the opportunity to try all six of Holy Crab's sauces. Generally you'll make a decision and your prehistoric sea creature will be covered in one of their highly doggy-baggable sauces, but we were lucky enough to get a six pack and an explanation of each. I like it hot. Hot, hot, hot. So I tended, when not opting for the tried and true melted butter original, to hover around the super spicy sauce. When Jenn wasn't looking I tried to swap it around for the medium spice, but she eyed the colour difference and my prank, sadly, did not succeed. That failure aside the crab was amongst the best is ever tried. Fresh, well coloured and meaty! I highly recommend Holy Crab if the usual snottiness of high end seafood restaurants draw your ire or if you don't think your kids could behave long enough in one for you to finish. It's a modern, upscale test casual seafood experience and one the whole family can enjoy. Tell Evelyn that Jenn Chan Media sent you and you'll be glad we did!

Dungeness Crab, Shrimps, variety of sauces, Nugget Potatoes, Corn, Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab, Deep Fried Frog Legs & Lobster Bisque

New Restaurants in Vancouver: Heritage Asian Eatery / February 6, 2017 by Jenn Chan

Heritage Eatery is nestled amongst the skyscrapers of the financial district in Coal Harbour. It's a lovely space and was very busy when we visited. Ladies and gentlemen in their suits and skirts popped in and out of doors taking away bags and munching quickly on their lunch breaks. The staff were kind and efficient and the atmosphere was very laid back and smelled wonderful!

Chef Felix and his team at the Heritage Eatery know chicken wings. Their fried chicken wings, deep fried in pure deliciousness, are crispy and seasoned to perfection. These are worth a trip down all on their own! They are marinated for 4 days then steamed and dry rubbed with 5 spices. The Eggplant appetizer was very nice and I generally dislike eggplant, but these were firm and flavourful. The wings came out alongside Heritage Eatery's famous Duck Bowl. The duck was incredibly sweet and tender and served half breast and half confite on a bed of rice. I could have stopped there and left satisfied, but Felix wanted us to try a few more things and I'm glad he did! The Pork Belly Bao boasted huge, immense, pieces of tender, succulent pork belly. The Bao was perfect and incredibly fresh. The sauce was tangy and sweet. The Cotechino Bao is equally as good! Cotechino is a peppery Italian sausage and not something I've had in a bao before, but works so wonderfully! Jenn loves udon. A lot! She once had udon everyday for a full week. My right hand to God! Heritage Eatery's House Udon with char shiu was very good, "cute mushrooms and tender noodles" was Jenn's succinct summation and I really liked it as well. The broth was very flavourful and was the highlight of the dish.

Duck Rice Bowl, House Udon with Char Shiu, Wings & Eggplant

Rice Bowl with Duck & shredded Pork Belly

Bao Trio: Cotechino, Pork Shoulder & Shitake

Terroir Kitchen, West Vancouver / August 8, 2016 by Jenn Chan

Terroir is a true gem of West Vancouver! As soon as you are seated in their modern, sleek restaurant a sense of serenity flows over you. Whether you're seated inside or on their lovely deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean there is a place for everyone at Terroir!

Our adventure started with a lovely Rotari Trento Brut Rosé which went perfectly with a couple appetizers recommended by our lovely hosts: Zucchini Parmesan Carpaccio and a Seared Albacore Tuna. I rarely eat zucchini, but the combination of it with the cheese and a light smattering of oil and I ate almost the whole plate. Much to the chagrin of my zucchini loving dining partner. The tuna was fresh and delicious, lightly kissed with the perfect sear job.

Rotari Trento Brut Rose | Mezzacorona | Trentino, Alto adagio

Seared Albacore Tuna | Warm fennel salad, cipollinni onions, olives, crispy artichokes, roast garlic & parsley sauce

We cleansed our palates between courses with a lovely Pineau des Charest from Chateau de Monifaud. It's a delightful French aperitif and did the job perfectly and then the fun really started! Out comes, unbeknownst to us as we left everything up to Chef Kassan's, one of my favourite dishes: bone marrow! Expertly prepared and so flavourful. We always enjoyed a delicious pork belly, think bacon's overweight, delicious cousin, and paired beautifully with a robust Pinot Noir from the Meyer winery in BC's beautiful Okanagan Valley. Rounding out the dishes was a sublime Potato Gnocchi, the best over had in my life, with venison ragu and paired with a Barbera d'Alba, one of favourite Italian wines!

Pineau des Charentes | Chateau de Monifaud Vieux Pineau | France

Pork Belly paired with Pinot Noir | Meyer | Okanagan Valley

Potato Gnocchi | Venison Ragu, Crispy Sage, Saffron Pecorino, Cocoa Nibs, paired with Barbera d'Alba

Already wobbly as we sat back in our chairs, dessert would be next. Can we handle it? Ought we? We didn't get a chance to answer as a dessert platter glided silently to our table: Dulce de Leche, Chocolate Tart, Poached Pear, Biscotti and a lovely Chateau de Bourgogne. We ate almost all of it even given our now food pregnant frames and thanked Chef Faizal Kassam on our way out and had a lovely conversation about the direction of the relatively new Terroir, had a nice tour and some behind the scenes tidbits. Terroir is divine and we will definitely be back!

Chocolate Tart | Pistachio Brittle, Rosewater Cream

Chateeau de Bourgogne | Cassis Poached Pear, Burnt Almond Biscotti

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market / August 3, 2016 by Jenn Chan

If you know me, you would know that I'm a huge Shellfish fan, specifically Raw Oysters! It made me extremely happy to see Fanny Bay Oysters have opened up a Restaurant in Downtown! The Bar is beautifully decorated, and have photos of their Oyster Farm all over their walls. I find them to be very interesting! There's something about ordering Oysters from a Restaurant that started off with have many years of Oyster Farming under its belt, it's like ordering wine straight from a winery!

Our server, Emilia, gave us many suggestions, such as this - Oyster Shooters! I'm not typically a shot type of girl, but these were delicious! There are 2 different ways you can take a shot: Slurp the Oyster, lick the rim, shoot it, then bite on the lime OR lick the rim, squish lime into the shot, do the shot, then slurp the oyster. The shot is basically a mini-Caesar and it was an absolute delight!

Of course, we ordered a dozen Oysters. We had a Variety of them: Kumamoto, Kusshi, Raspberry Point, Fanny Bay & Shigoku, from the Pacific, to the East Coast - they all tasted amazing and went well with the Apple Cider Mignonette

We were curious about trying the Geoduck on their menu and to our excitement, Emilia took us over to the tank and showed us a live geoduck. I got to say, it was not what I expected! It looked like an elephant trunk with nostrils at the end of it and was rough to the touch, it made me second guess my decision to order the Geoduck Sashimi. We decided to order it anyway, since there wasn't many restaurants that served geoduck. The dish was beautifully plated, chopped up and served in its shell, in watermelon radish, complemented with pickled ginger & horseradish. To our surprise, the texture of the sashimi, when it came out to our table, was great! It wasn't at all rough, and tasted like raw scallops to me. If you have never tried geoduck before, I highly implore you to try it!

We ended our dinner with splitting a Bouillabaisse, another dish that was suggested by Emilia. I'm glad we listened to her since this dish was absolutely amazing! Mussels, Clams, Prawns, Ling Cod, and Scallops bathe in a fragrant white wine saffron butter broth. The broth was slurped up, and the dish disappeared quickly! I highly recommend ordering this when you visit Fanny Bay Oyster Bar!

Words & Photos: Jenn Chan

Bodega on Main / August 1, 2016 by Jenn Chan

In the restaurant business mistakes are made; it is as inevitable as death and taxes. Hair falls into food, women lose, on average, 50-100 strands per day, orders get mixed up, loud patrons disturb us convivial customers and things get dropped. Smart managers know these happenstances can actually be a chance to make a lifelong customer. Food was cold so the food is free and here's a gift certificate for next time. A beer was dumped in your lap by the usually stalwart waitress so all the drinks at the table are on the house and the first bottle of wine is on us next time. Both of those customers will be back and chances are very good they'll tell someone how well they were treated!

While it is less fun to be the cause of another patron's stress, cameras and lighting are a lifestyle blogger's constant companion and can apparently sometimes annoy neighbouring tables, it was refreshing to watch how the situation was discretely handled; meals comped, drinks comped and a GC for their next visit. A common sense courtesy in a world where common sense is far from commonplace!

Our culinary adventure started with a couple of cocktails while we perused the menu. The Santi is a gin and sherry based cocktail with a refreshing cucumber garnish. It is a nice light, easy-sipping offering and worth a second visit. The Smoke on the Water is Laphroig and Aperol mixed with lemon juice and orange bitters. A definite smoky taste accented by the sharp orange bitters. You might breath a bit of fire after this one so make sure you have a safe ride home!

Santi - Oloroso Sherry, Gin, Simple Syrup, Cava, Basil, Cucumber Garnish, topped with Pimento Bitters

Smoke on the Water - Quarter Cask Laphroig, Aperol, Lemon Juice, Gomme, Orange Bitters, Lemon Twist

The Membrillo y Queso is an absolute homerun! Aged Manchego cheese with a decadent Quince Jelly on top. I could have eaten 50; no joke. The hyperbole police aren't coming after me, I could have. Our second appetizer was the Pulpo a la Parilla. Expertly grilled octopus with a Piquillo Romesco. The Piquillo is a robust pepper found mostly in northern Spain. It's got a kick and paired very well with the fresh, soft octopus.

Membrillo Y Queso - Aged Manchego Cheese, and Quince Jelly

Pulpo A La Parilla - Grilled Octopus, Piquillo Romesco

With preliminary snacking over we moved onto the Paella Mixta. Have you ever had Paella? Good Paella? It's generally a melange of meats over rice. Thats oversimplified, but that's the general idea. Bodega wasn't satisfied with traditional Paella and elevated it starting with an incredible Saffron rice and tossing in prawns, clams, chicken, chorizo and pork. Worth a trip all on its own I give the dish a solid 8 1/2 / 10! And I never give 10's.

Paella Mixta - Saffron Rice with Seafood, Chicken, Chorizo and Pork

Followed close behind was their Pincho Moruno and Conejo Riojana; beef skewers and slow cooked rabbit. The beef skewers were lovely cuts of AAA beef and were tender and flavourful and the rabbit was yet another homerun! Swimming in a tangy Tomato and Wine sauce and hunched beside a small mount of roasted potatoes Bugs Bunny made his last stand. Yosemite Sam must have finally got his man and I got my favourite dish of the night! I'm a spice guy, I love Sriracha, I love curry and I loved this dish. Nowhere near the heat of the aforementioned weapons of mass deliciousness, but holding its own was the tomato and wine sauce. I am a little ashamed to admit it, but we ordered all our plates to share and I was unable to let this incredible rabbit out of my sight! I would walk an hour and a half to get it. In the rain. Uphill. Both ways. A near perfect 9/10!

Pincho Moruno - Grilled Skewers of Marinated AAA Beef

Conejo Riojana - Slow Cooked Rabbit, Tomato and Wine Sauce

A friendly battle erupted when the freshly made Churros with hot dipping chocolate and vanilla marscapone came to the table. 2 guests and 3 Churros... Whomever eats their first churro first will, by social convention, have first right of refusal to the third and final remaining delicious stick of dough and cinnamon. Usually. I was outranked and outgunned. The venerable Jenn Chan decided she needed that Churro in her life and who am I to deny her pleasure! Better than you'll find a the PNE or amusement park by a country mile!

Churros - served with Hot Dipping Chocolate and Vanilla Mascarpone

Each dish came paired with a lovely white wine, most from the divine Okanagan Valley. Each was carefully considered and proffered by our incredibly lovely waitress who was the picture of decorum even as seat after seat started being snapped up and soon everyone was elbow to elbow as Bodega reached capacity. Happy faces, laughter and a lot of oooo's and ahhhh's. This room is electric, good for a drink after work or an anniversary meal; it is simply not to be missed!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan