Vancouver is bereft of good rooftop bars.

Now let me caveat that statement.

I do not consider a patio on the third floor of a restaurant a rooftop bar. I’ll use Black and Blue as an example. It’s a fantastic spot and they have fantastic food. One of my favorite restaurants in Vancouver. But the third floor of a building with high-rises all around and no view to speak of does not a rooftop bar make.

So I was rather pleasantly surprised to discover Lavantine Rooftop Restaurant and Sky Bar. And that name is actually pretty apt. It is on the 15th floor rooftop of the Azure Hotel in Vancouver. Unfortunately though there’s still not much of a view. Those same pesky high rises.

Like Black and Blue it has a sliding glass roof so that you can enjoy it year round. However I was told by a friend that in the winter, when the roof is closed, it can be a pretty noisy atmosphere.

We are definitely in the upper class of establishments here but we are fortunate enough to be in time for happy hour small plates are reasonably enough priced.

I’m going to try two of them today. The tuna tartare and a lamb burger.

I’ll admit I was a little surprised when a tagine was presented to me. I don’t remember ordering any middle Eastern food. It turned out not to be a full tagine, just the top cover, and then as the tagine was lifted it all made sense. The wonderful aroma of smoke reached my nostrils. Nice presentation.

Everything on this plate worked perfectly. The smokiness hit strong at first, then faded. The citrusy marinade with a perfectly textured tuna had a nice spicy kick. The fresh, tangy creaminess from the creme fraiche and the sweetness and texture from the pomegranate seeds rounded it all out. Easily the best tuna tartare I’ve ever eaten.

When it comes to a burger, if lamb is an option it’s always my first choice. Don’t get me wrong. Nothing wrong with a good beef burger. But lamb elevates it to another level.

Other than the pickle, which was easy to fish out, this burger was excellent. The patty itself had a really great char, all the condiments worked really well and the bun was super fresh. Really hard to beat that for $19.

I really enjoyed Lavantine. The vibe, food, and service were all excellent. It really is a great spot to spend a couple hours.

And while it technically meets the definition, what Vancouver really needs is a true rooftop bar where you can sit and enjoy the fantastic views the harbour provides. Hopefully someone has one in the works.

The post Lavantine Rooftop Restaurant and Skybar appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

it’s an absolutely fantastic spot located in the River district right on the North arm of the Fraser River. The restaurant itself has a great atmosphere as well. Lots of wood and glass to show off those great views.

I know that glass says Parallel 49 but the beer inside is actually from Russell brewing in Surrey. The name escapes me at this point but it was clean and refreshing.

Merilynn sampled the Tuna Tatake.

Crispy wonton crackers with a wasabi aioli and avocado. What a fantastic little snack. The fish had beautiful flavour and paired with the avocado band wasabi aioli well, with the wonton giving a crunchy texture to the bite.

Smashburgers aren’t really my thing. I thought I would give one a try tonight just to see if my feelings are confirmed.

The chef got a great crust on both patties and it comes with thick sliced bacon, aged cheddar, served on a freshly baked bun.

It tasted really good, however I still prefer a traditional thick and juicy burger.

All in all a good meal. If you’re looking for a good burger Romer’s is a good choice. Unfortunately though I hear the one in Port Moody has closed.

8/10

The post Romer’s Burger Bar appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Recently I was espousing the quality of the delicacies of my current favorite bakery Chez Christophe, (read that review here) when a friend of mine recommended another pastry shop I hadn’t heard of yet, Thierry.

Well f***, that recommendation is going to end up costing me way too much money.

Thierry is a high end pastry shop on Alberni St, right in the middle of all the designer fashion shops. The place definitely has an “air” about it. I actually feel a bit out of place here. But I’ll get over it. The food looks incredible.

The upscale atmosphere greets you right at the front door.

That front door must have cost a fortune.

Inside that impression continues.

A beautiful and warm interior that screams “quality.”

There’s an amazing selection of delicious looking pastries and cakes.

A nice selection of macarons.

Handmade chocolates. I’m not allowed to buy these anymore lol.

The Canelé from Bordeaux.

A daily selection of fresh made croissants, danish and other goodies.

I have been a few times over the past few months now and this is a compilation of those visits.

First up, a Confit Garlic Danish.

I really wasn’t too sure about this one to be honest. I thought this particluar combination a bit odd but since I love both garlic and danish a sampling is almost a must.

I should have trusted my instincts. You generally expect something sweet when you bite into a Danish. You won’t get anything sweet with this. The garlic flavour, which I normally love, just didn’t work in a pastry. For me at least. Hopefully someone out there likes it.

4/10

Very few things are better to me than a Lemon Tart.

It exceeded my already high expectations. The lemon curd was smooth and had a great balance of tart and sweet. Really tasty. But what elevated it above a regular lemon tart was the pastry. A perfect texture, Tender, baked to perfection.

Can I give it an 11?

A seasonal Caramel tart.

The mousse was very light but still ended up being very rich. Add the caramel and the homemade chocolate tuile and while it worked together very well it ended up just being too much. Yes I know, complaining your high end dessert being too big a portion is a first world problem.

Good, but I wouldn’t get it again.

7/10

I popped in on a Monday afternoon, expecting to find it quiet. I was surprised to see it completely packed. Not a table open. So I just picked up something easy to go, chocolate covered Madelines.

I’d normally just make these myself when I want them. These were good but I prefer mine. I cram more lemon flavour in the batter. I will however start dipping some of the ones I make in chocolate. That’s brilliant, a very nice touch. They were surprisingly moist for not being super fresh.

7/10

Macaron

If you’ve ever tried making these your appreciation for them will grow considerably. One of the most technically demanding pastries out there.

Nice flavours, they had that little bit if a chew a good macaron has.

Tiramisu

This is not your Nonna’s tiramisu. I loved those chocolate wafers creating a “bowl” for the beaufuk custard within. As a modern take they did a beautiful job of keeping the tradition of the dessert while making it suitable for the single serve, cafe presentation.

Aspargus Danish.

This was a much better take on a savoury Danish than the confit garlic one I tried earlier. Beautiful, crisp layers with cream cheese. They didn’t get it 100% right, some of the asparagus was on the Woody side. Had they trimmed that properly this would have been really good. Honestly a bit surprising for an establishment of this caliber.

8/10

Mango tart.

I can’t even begin to imagine the level of patience it takes to make that dessert. It’s so pretty. And delicious. That mango was perfectly right and was bursting with flavor. Underneath was a lemon curd and that short crust pastry shell was delicious. That’s something you’d find in the Michelin star restaurant for sure.

11/10

Cappucino

This cappuccino might be right back to one of the Cafes in Italy that I was at a month ago. As good as it gets.

So is Thierry a better Pattiserie than Chez Christophe? Let’s compare.

Quality – This ones a tie. Both excellent. I can’t penalize Thierry for me just not liking the garlic danish, that’s just personal taste. The quality was there.

Price – I’ll give the edge to Chez Christophe on this one. Prices here are a little cheaper without sacrificing quality.

Atmosphere – Here I’m giving the nod to Chez Christophe. Thierry is a very nice spot but I prefer the less pretentious, contemporary feel at Chez Christophe.

Selection – Thierry has the edge on this one. A bigger selection to pick from.

Overall – I think that’s actually too hard to pick a ‘winner’ and it will come down to personal preference. I have a feeling that as I sample more items at Thierry I will find I prefer their pastries. But I much prefer the atmosphere at Chez Christophe.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.

The post Thierry appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Recommended to us by Luigi, our host at the White House here in Orvieto (more on our stay here coming in a post later.) FEBO is both a bar and a restaurant. Since we already had dinner though tonight we are stopping in for a disgestivo before calling it a night. We will be back to try the food at some point this week though.

I believe it being the only microbrewery in town and with the copious amounts of wine I’ve had lately I’m having a stout.

While not heavy like a Guinness, it does carry the typical caramel and molasses flavours a stout typically has without feeling like you just ate a 10 course meal.

And since the cruise, where we consumed the equivalent of a years worth of G and T’s in 5 days, we have had many of our favorite cocktails, and to our delight they make a gin in house.

Focusing on local botanicals, rosemary being very flavour forward, it’s fragrant and slightly sweet, mixing very well with the best tonic, Fever Tree, that they fortunately carry here.

The bar section is small but has a cool vibe.

I’m looking forward to coming back for the food.

We popped in again the next afternoon for a pre dinner drink. That gin was so good I wanted more. We originally had plans at another restaurant, but at the last minute decided to stay here and eat.

The restaurant section is upstairs and has a modern and warm feel.

We chose a cute little window seat

Though as I take a photo of my beautiful wife from outside I can’t help but get a “zoo” vibe

What a great people watching spot. Too bad it’s such a small town. Not very many people walked by while we were eating.

Another great wine to start.

We still haven’t had a bad glass of wine in Italy.

Orvieto is known for two famous dishes. Wild Boar and Squab AKA pigeon. I’m going for their Boar stew tonight.

Big, tender juicy chunks of wild boar in a rich gravy. And this was a carnivore stew, not a veggie in sight. Just how I like it.

Merilynn decided she was feeling a little homesick food wise and decided now was the time to get a burger. Beyond McDonalds we have not seen a lot of “regular”food.

That’s a fine burger they got there. A really fresh bun with bacon and cheese. I never expected to get such a good burger in Italy.

The fries were even better.

The fries were cut in a wedge but with a divet out of the middle, resulting in lots of crispy surface area. The interior remained really light and fluffy though.

Great drinks downstairs, great food upstairs. Great vibe on multiple levels.

FEBO should be on your list when you are in Orvieto.

The post FEBO appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

I’m preparing myself to embark on a journey making what is widely considered to be one of the most difficult pastries in the world to make.

I have been working tirelessly perfecting my croissant dough with some amazing results.

I have successfully made the Canalé from Bordeau on more than a few occasions.

I have even undertaken the precise and finicky French macaron successfully, though I do need to make some improvements. The macaronage is still my nemesis.

Even the daunting puff pastry is just another walk in the park for me now.

One pastry though scares me to the point of nah, it’s just easier to buy one. But if I hope to be an instructor in the art of baking when I retire from my current job I must improve my skills. I can do that with the challenge of the sfogliatelle.

This is a “lobster tail” from Gastromia Italia here in New Westminster.

It’s a great little shop selling Italian products. The selection isn’t as big or as varied as Ciofi’s or Bosa but it’s only a 5 minute walk down the street for me so I go there when I know they have something I need.

It’s a good opportunity to start my research before I attempt to make sfogliatelle myself. I’ll be in Italy in a few weeks and will do lots more research there.

I’m not sure if they make them here from scratch. But based on the crispiness of the layers I am pretty sure they bake them here. They put different fillings in, today it’s a chocolate cream. It sure was tasty.

However that’s not the traditional filling you’ll find in Italy. That’s a semolina/ricotta filling flavored with citrus. I’ll have an opportunity to try that in Italy I’m sure.

And then when we return I’m going to give making them a go.

Unitl I am more familiar with the Sfogliatelle though I am sure happy with this version.

Hopefully the ones in Italy don’t spoil it for me.

8/10

The post Gastronomia Italia appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

It’s Dine Out Vancouver time. Today I plan to get out there and give one of the special menus a try.

When I looked through the restaurant list it looked like there’s around 400 different establishments offering special deals on their lunch and dinner menus.

It did not take me long to choose today. Once I saw Hawksworth on the list it was a done deal

I had dinner here in September to celebrate a birthday and it was fantastic. Read that review here.

My daughter Amanda is joining me today. I suspect this is the first time she will have been in a Michelin quality restaurant. Hopefully her palate can handle the more complex dishes she will experience today.

As we are here for Dine Out Vancouver there is a set menu with fewer choices than the usual lunch menu.

My comments follow, I asked Amanda to give me her thoughts on her first fine dining experience. I will add them at the end of my review.

On first glance of the menu I was mildly disappointed. None of the options offered were anything I was too excited about.

For a starter I decided on the Celeriac soup. Celeriac, or its other name, celery root, is a root vegetable I am pretty familiar with, having had it a few times over the years in various dishes. I also use celeriac puree as mashed potato alternative occasionally or throw it in some soups. It’s quite versatile, with a mild celery like, earthy flavour. I’ve never had a Celeriac soup though.

The bowl arrives at your table with a few greens and roasted hazelnuts presented nicely in the bowl and the soup is poured in front of you.

The soup was excellent. The hazelnuts surprised me most, not only with the textural component, but their nuttiness enhanced the natural nutty flavour of the Celeriac.

I went with the Rockfish for my second course.

it was coconut crusted and fortunately wasn’t too coconut forward. It’s not my favorite flavor. It certainly raised a simple white fish to another level. The kitchen cooking it perfectly also made this an excellent choice. The crispy noodles added a nice crunch. There also was a few Enoki mushrooms in there too. Mild and slightly crunchy, it’s one of the few fungi I actually like.

Dessert wasn’t much of a choice. Carrot cake or sorbet.

Those little blobs are pineapple jelly, the quenelle is Mascarpone ice cream and the ribbon cream cheese icing.

The ice cream was perfect, the cake was light and the cream cheese icing not overly sweet. An amazing treat to end a lovely meal.

Now I’m typically of the opinion that carrots belong on your dinner plate, not your dessert plate.

But if it’s always Carrot Cake like this one I’ll have to change that opinion.

And so while at first I was a little disappointed with the dine out menu, in the end it turned out to be a delicious meal. And so well worth the measly $36 charged for such fine food.

10/10

Amanda’s comments

The celeriac soup was delicious—well balanced and a little salty, but in a good way. For my main I had the ricotta cavatelli (with no mushrooms) and loved it; the sauce was bright, lemony, and herby, and made the whole dish feel fresh and comforting at the same time. I finished with the carrot cake and mascarpone ice cream, which was excellent, and a Rum Jungle cocktail that tasted like banana and pineapple. Yum!

The post Hawksworth appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

We are downtown celebrating Merilynn’s birthday and we are on our way to lose $100 at the casino but both of us need some caffeine first.

I try to avoid Starbucks whenever possible so we are on the lookout for a local coffee shop on our way.

We happened to walk by Rocanini Coffee Roasters just before they were closing.

When you’re in a good coffee place you don’t need to get anything put in your lattes. Not like Starbucks. A plain latte there is almost undrinkable nowadays.

But at a place like Rocanini you let the coffee shine.

Now that’s a good latte.

Smooth and creamy, not bitter at all. That’s as good as it gets.

Will definitely keep this in mind next time I’m in this part of town

10/10

The post Rocanini Coffee Roasters appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

We have heard from friends that Frankie’s Italian Kitchen is worth checking out.

So to celebrate Merilynn’s birthday she decided it was time to check it out.

Inside we found a warm atmosphere and welcoming staff. It was busy but noise levels were well within easy talking levels. It was a bit dim due to all the dark furnishing and what seemed like more than a few light fixtures not working. But not so dim you couldn’t read the menu.

If you’re a fan of Jazz they also have a club right next door that is served by the same kitchen. Shows are roughly 4 times a week at 8pm. We do plan on coming for a show sometimes. But tonight is just dinner.

Im gonna start with an ale, Hoyne Appleton’s Finest British to be precise.

“Quaffable” is the adjective used to describe this Ale. Ok, I’ll be honest. I had to look that one up.

Pleasant, easy to drink and in large quantities is the definition.

And it certainly is. It’s hoppy with a nice caramel color. Some coral notes on the nose with a hint of caramel.

I’m really stuck with what to have for an appy.

It was between deep fried pizza dough pillows with marinara or polenta fries. The server swayed us to go with the polenta fries.

So not what I was expecting. But in this instance it turned out well.

i imagined a “fry” more dense, to hold the shape you’d expect a fry to be. But these were very crispy on the outside and soft, moist and light in the middle. I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around how they made these. My first thought maybe they were in some kind of wrapper. Maybe it’s just cooled and then cut and then air dried?

Regardless these were fantastic. They are served with a garlic aioli which was a nice complement.The idea could be greatly improved though if they added a marinara sauce for dipping as well.

It was nice to see something different on the menu though. I may have to try mucking around making these one day.

On the feature menu tonight they have a encrusted Halibut with risotto. That’s right up her alley.

This was not what she was expecting. But in this situation it wasn’t a good thing.

Lets start with the fish. The taste was quite good actually. But it was overcooked. Not by a lot mind you. But enough that made me shake my head. When I was 20 I didnt cook fish well. I do now. So when we get it poorly done it stands out. And that’s halibut. That’s too much money sitting on that plate to overcook it. Rookie in the kitchen tonight? Remind me not to get the filet next time we are here.

But the major disappointment for her was the risotto. It was Fregola risotto. Something neither of us knew about. Fregola Risotto is made with a bean sized pasta, not rice. So the texture and flavour are nothing what you’d expect from a rice Risotto.

I personally didn’t mind it. It does have a similarly creamy texture from the starches releasing from the pasta. But they are much bigger and if you’re used to good rice risotto this is a departure from that.

So Merilynn had about three bites. Then I took over.

It the fish had been better executed this would be an okay dish. Yeah of course I wouldn’t eat the olives, eww, the capers did add a nice brininess to the overall impact. The almond crust on the fish was great, too bad they had overcooked it though and spoiled the good parts.

I really wanted to send it back. That’s not Merilynn’s thing so we ate as much as we could. And we will be a little more observant reading menus going forward.

They brought us some Focaccia.

Focaccia is something I know well. I’ve spent hours perfecting my version at home.

This one is lacking in a few areas. It was dry and flavourless. My preference is for a high hydration Focaccia, on the 110% range. This is closer to 60%. No salt on the top either. One bite, you know the rules. 1.2. One bite and I’m done.

I went with the feature Chicken Cannelloni.

I enjoyed it. The sauce was delicious and they’re filling tasted great as well. If I had one thing I complain about they could have used bigger chunks of chicken in the filling. It was ground up too much. But overall a nice dish.

Dessert tonight is an affogato.

First time for both of us having an affagato.

And we both really liked it. Why have I not tried one of these before?

The intense espresso with the sweet gelato and fudge made a great combo. One of these on a hot summer day on a patio would be fantastic.

Unfortately though the overall experience for Merilynn’s birthday dinner wasn’t the best.

Yes we enjoyed the polenta fries, the affogato and I was good with my meal. But she was very disappointed with hers.

Will I be recommending Frankie’s to any of my friends?

With caveats.

6/10

The post Frankie’s Italian Kitchen appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a foodie.

Good food is definitely my weakness.

So when I found out that there is a local pastry chef who specializes in Pannettone getting my hands on one wasn’t even an option.

The genius and talent behind Antise is Emmidio, a highly trained pastry chef from Italy. Though my brief description does not do his CV justice. To get the full story visit their website.

Antise

One does not just pop into Antise to pick up a Pannetone. They don’t have a storefront in the way you normally think of.

You have to pre-order online. Then a week later you go during a 4-hour window to pick it up.

As I’ve only ever had a traditional pannetone, I decided to try out their chocolate version.

Very nice presentation. High quality packaging.

So we have the traditional pannetone dough, but with chocolate chips rather than the raisins and dried fruit.

The chocolate version is a little richer than I’m used to. Pannetone is already very rich, what with all the butter and sugar in it. But they add lots of high quality chocolate, making it even richer. There’s also a chocolate spread on the top. Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

Moist, buttery, chocolatey goodness. Very addictive.

Pro tip: Eat this with a big glass of cold homogenized milk.

At $50 each this isn’t something you’re going to order often. But at a 10/10 it’s a nice treat to have once in a while.

Next year, I’ll try their traditional Pannetone.

The post Antise Vancouver appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

We are in town picking up a Pannetone from Antise. They specialize in making this Christmas treat, and Antise is invited to participate in the World Cup in Italy next year. Read my review here.

Yeesh this is not the best part of town though. Not sure why they settled on this area to put down roots. Have to watch your back around here.

Just up the street is Six Acres, a restaurant that I’ve wanted to try for some time now. If we can avoid the needles and other paraphanalia anyways.

I’m not really sure what genre Six Acres fits into.

It is not a cafe. Gastropub doesn’t fit the bill. Upscale casual isn’t quite right either, though I suppose that’s the closest I can think of.

It’s small. Around 10 tables in a small space plus a few seats at the bar. In the summer they have a nice patio. But it’s November. So after killing 15 minutes with a walk through Gastown a table cleared up for us.

It’s a cute place, proclaiming the best table in Vancouver. It’s a table at the front of the place on a bit of a raised platform. Considering your view is likely to be that of a drug addict taking a poop on the sidewalk I’m not so sure about that claim but we’ll just go with it.

But we aren’t here for a view of the crackheads are we?

I’m starting with a drink. A peanut butter cup.

It’s s just Kahlua, whiskey and Baileys on ice with a peanut butter cup thrown on top. But pretty tasty.

Merilynn had a gin drink. I cannot remember for the life of the crackhead outside what’s in it, but it was very refreshing.

Boy did it go down easily. Could easily get as hammered as the vagrants in no time.

Fish tacos are on order for Merilynn today.

A very generous portion of cod with coleslaw, avocado and a spicy sriracha mayo. Crispy and not too heavy, a really nice take on the fish taco.

Since there’s a lobster roll on the meno my choice was very easy.

And a good choice it was.

The brioche roll was very fresh and soft, clearly made very recently. Tons of lobster in there, in smaller pieces sure but there was no shortage.

I’m not a big sandwich fan generally. Two pieces of bread with something in between. But that’s pretty fantastic.

So if you find yourself in Gastown and need something good to eat, and can get in, try Six Acres. It’s a really great lunch spot.

9/10

The post Six Acres appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.