Round two tonight.

Let’s see if it’s as good as last time.

As usual, crispy shrimp wontons

Yes, just as good as the last time. Crispy, flavourful and lots of shrimp

I normally lean towards a regular curry. Red, green yellow, doesn’t matter.We went with Khao Soi Gai tonight though.

This is a traditional Northern Thailand dish with egg noodles in a yellow curry sauce with shallots, green onions, pickled vegetables and a choice of meat. In our case, chicken

While the flavour was very nice, it’s a yellow curry after all, I found the vegetables lacking and the noodles excessive. A larger portion of the very delicious chicken would go a long way too.

Ultimately for me the balance of the dish was off. Not in flavour, but in portion of ingredients.

Reports from the others regarding the spring rolls; excellent, the fried rice; good and the yellow curry with chicken; excellent.

The iced Thai coffee was really nice as well. A little sweeter than I’d like but the strength of the coffee offset that. I’ll order that again.

Maybe not the Khao Soi Gai though.

The service was very good, zero complaints.

Overall, 8/10

The post Patsara Thai appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

This the first coffee shop we ran into since we left Victoria.

It will do. The one in Parksville was just fine.

Not the best latte I’ve ever had but not the worst.

I do enjoy these smaller towns and their older buildings though. Everything is so gentrified in Vancouver.

7/10

The post Serious Coffee appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

A good friend was here in Victoria last month and visited Il Terrazza and was thoroughly impressed, and recommended it to me the next time I was in town.

if you do come here it is a little tricky to find, the entrance being off of Waddington alleyway. If you’re on the main Street it’s behind the Friends of Dorothy bar. Which you cannot miss due to the “We are here and we are Queer” chant over what is already too loud dance music.

Upon entering I was immediately impressed.

It’s a warm, inviting, rustic space, with different rooms and different levels to provide lots of space but at the same time gives each diner the feel of a cozy, intimate, dining experience. We walked by at least four different fireplaces and even had one in our own little corner.

If I have any complaints about the interior it’s about the dividers between each table, a hold over from the covid days. Here they have used window panes with glass. To some extent it only furthers the illusion that you’re in a rustic farmhouse in Tuscany.

We started with a couple excellent cocktails.

The Amalfi Coast and a Negroni.

That Amalfi Coast coast goes down way too easy. It had rum, Galiano, orange juice, lemon and Orgeat. It was sweet and sour and very refreshing. I think we had four between us.

That Negroni was fantastic too. Made with Empress gin of course.

Next came a tomato soup..

This was a bit of a game changer for me.

I do make a very good tomato soup myself.

But look at that colour. Such a deep red. And the addition of bocconcini was fantastic. The flavor of the roasted tomatoes was so deep it blew my mind. I think I have found my next challenge.

After that soup I really wondered what was in store for our main.

While I will say that in the end I wasn’t disappointed, I did struggle choosing a dish. Which normally isn’t an issue for me.

One thing I picked up from GR a number of years ago in my own Journey as a home chef was simplicity. I remember as a teenager having a French cookbook that was ultra complicated and had recipes with 30 plus ingredients. Having a pantry that large becomes untenable.

And sure, if you’re a two or three-star Michelin restaurant you can get away with that.

But as nice as this place as this, it’s no L’Atelier or Guy Savoy.

Almost all the dishes on the menu here seem overly complex to me. Even the server said he thought the same. Really.

So I end up keeping it relatively simple.

Fusili con Sugo de Manzo.

Fusili baked in a slow cooked Bolognese sauce with mozzarella and spinach

It was fantastic. The sauce, rich and meaty, was only enhanced by baking it with all that gooey mozzarella. Fusilli is actually a really good choice for this too, all those ridges picking up all the meat and cheese perfectly. A truly fantastic pasta dish.

Merilynn’s on the other hand, not so much. Though I’m going with poor execution tonight. Not a bad idea.

Frutit di Mer Della Casa.

Seafood in a garlic cream sauce.

This should have been a knock your socks off dish. In fact it knocked the socks off one of my friends a month prior to our visit.

Loads of fresh seafood, all cooked perfectly.

It was the garlic cream sauce that was the let down. The garlic was burnt. Plain and simple. It was so bitter it made they pasta almost inedible.

I did check in with my friend who said his was nothing like that so I’m just going to chalk this one up to a one off as the quality of everything else has been excellent.

Regardless we still enjoyed all the seafood. And we got our fix of pasta from my dish.

After a couple more cocktails it was time for dessert.

Oh look, there’s creme brulee on the menu. Twist my arm…

As a (self proclaimed) expert on creme brulee I will say this is one of the best I’ve ever had.

They Pastry Chef got that sugar caramelized perfectly without turning the custard into soup underneath. Amazing job.

Oh look, another drink showed up. How convenient.

It was actually more than one…

Regardless of a slight misstep with the seafood pasta the meal was excellent.

Top notch service in a wonderful atmosphere.

This should be a must stop for everyone who likes Italian food when you’re in the Victoria area.

8/10

The post Il Terrazzo appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Even if you are a resident of New West I’d be surprised if you knew about this restaurant.

While it is on 6th, its south of Columbia. Very easy for anyone to not realize it’s there

inside you will find a small selection of Mexican foods. Spices, snacks, beverages, etc.

And tucked away in the back a small, but colourful dine in section.

The menu has a good selection of typical dishes you’d find in a Mexican restaurant in Canada. Tacos, Tostadas, Burritos and E xhiladas, to name a few.

Merilynn likes her Burritos.

I personally am not a fan. Don’t like the rice inside.

It looks a little crispy to me on the outside. I didn’t try it myself but she said it was good. But not the best she’s ever had. A bit heavy on the rice.

I went with Enchiladas Verdes des Pollo.

The green sauce had the beautiful tangy flavor that comes with tomatillos that was well balanced with the queso fresco. And there was lots of tender Chicken in there. For $16. That seems pretty good to me. That’s a lot of Pollo. Bueno!

One thing I did appreciate was I did feel like I was in a small slice of Mexico. The colorful atmosphere and the ladies speaking Spanish reminded me of our recent trip to Puerto Vallarta and the wonderful food we had there.

I’ll be back to try out the tacos.

7/10

The post Cacao Mexican Foods appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

As our disdain for Starbucks grows we certainly have wanted to try it out.

We just haven’t been able to yet as they are closed more hours in the week than they are open.

Today however is our lucky day.

Inside you will find a pretty eclectic, but appealing ambiance. Once you get over the hippie dippie, progressive, libtard vibe. “Just ignore that Free Palestine sweater for sale,” I said to myself, that was hanging on one lonely second hand clothing rack. It’s not odd at all to find that in a coffee shop at all is it?

As for that coffee, it was a truly great latte.

Thiis is the 12 ounce.

i had the 16 ooince whole milk with a touch of vanilla

Really good coffee. A latte made with care and attention.

So much better than Starbucks.

Even if this place has a Death seminar coming up in a couple weeks.

If you think I’m kidding, think again. It takes all kinds…..

10/10 for the coffee

1/10 for their political viewpoints

Update:

As is my custom I visited again a second time to see if the quality holds up.

While waiting for what turned out to be another excellent cup of coffee I pondered my surroundings.

My observations from my first visit were only further confirmed.

Moodswing Coffee only reinforces the trope that unless your latte is made by a bleeding heart libtard it’s not going to be any good.

9/10

The post Moodswing Coffee Bar appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Lobster Bisque is on the menu, so that’s a must try. Not even an option.

Have I had better Lobster Bisque? Yes. But even mediocre Lobster Bisque is still better than almost any other type of soup. So ya, it’s good. It could use some actual chunks of lobster. Maybe the bits destined for my bowl got missed? Maybe they don’t put in any. Either way, that would make it better.

However, the lobster flavour is definitely there. It’s rich and decadent. And very satisfying.

Merilynn had Tuna Tartare.

This I didn’t enjoy at all. Frankly neither did she.

The balance was off. Too much avocado was one issue. That normally shouldn’t be a problem. Avocados are awesome.

But the flavour of the dish was flat. I didn’t enjoy my first bite, which didn’t lend well to wanting a second. A third was out of the question. A soy glaze or wasabi mayo would go a long way to making this better. If those pita chips or intended to be used as a scoop for the tartar they did not hold up well and broke every time.

But there is a happy ending for the Tuna Tartare. After taking most of it as a takeaway, she added it as a topper to a salad at work today and it transformed what was a boring, tasteless appetizer into a delicious lunch. Or so she tells me. Based on what I tasted I’m not sure I’d come to the same conclusion.

I went with a steak. I mean really. What else is the Keg known for.

Having said that, this is not Gordon Ramsay Steak.

Is it just me or is the idea of a bacon wrapped filet way out of fashion now?

Tenderloin is my go to steak. It’s almost the only cut I order now.

And for the life of me, The Keg is the only restaurant I can think of that still wraps a filet.

The main issue is the bacon not being cooked well enough before the steak is medium rare. And don’t you dare say just cook the steak more you Philistine.

But it was cooked exactly to order, with a nice crust and excellent flavour. The selection of seasonal vegetables was excellent. Minus the fungus, which went right on to Merilynn’s plate.

But I must remember to order it without bacon next time we are here.

A post dinner latte, which was excellent. Hopefully won’t keep me up all night.

And a mini Creme Brule. The large one is just to big and rich too be enjoyed.

The mini has just the right amount of sweetness to cleanse the palate. They did a nice job of getting the sugar caramelized without turning the custard into soup.

So to summarize: The soup was good, the tuna wasn’t, and the steak was right on par as per my expectations from the Keg.

The next time I need a good steak though I’m going back to see Gordon.

7/10

The post The Keg appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Not that we don’t like our usual Ki Sushi anymore. It’s just time for something different

After some discussion we settled on Sora Sushi House, on 8th, near Royal.

Upon entry one notices this restaurant is a bit different than your typical sushi restaurant.

No tatami rooms, an eclectic selection of tables for dine in, and counter service, order at the window before you seat yourself style of establishment.

Merilynn said this used to be a Subway. And you can definitely see that in the decor.

But sometimes ambiance isn’t everything.

How does the food stack up?

As it turns out, very well.

This photo doesn’t do the portion size justice unfortunately. But those are the biggest pieces of Toro I have ever been served. They came at a perfect temperature, not too cold. That allows the flavour to really shine. Some of the best Nigiri I’ve ever had.

That’s a free piece of a house roll they make. Due to the cream cheese it wasn’t my favorite. But I always appreciate the extra effort of a complimentary sample.

This is the Douglas roll.

It’s a California roll with the lovely addition of mango. What a great way to elevate what is is often pretty boring Maki.

For dinner tonight we got a salmon teriyaki to go.

Even later it was excellent. Well cooked fish and a nicely balanced teriyaki sauce that wasn’t overly sweet.

As usual there is tea, on the house.

So this just might be my new favorite Sushi in New West, for the Toro alone. Hopefully the portion size is as big next time I am here.

9/10

The post Sora Sushi House appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

We find ourselves in Richmond tonight needing a drink.

As we are near the south terminal at YVR The Flying Beaver came immediately to mind.

It’s a cool spot right on the river on Sea Island.

And it’s 2 for 1 appies tonight. How can you lose?

First off though a beer. Hoyne’s brewing Dark Matter.

Since they can’t even tell you what this beer is it’s hard for me to but I’ll give it a go.

It has the taste of a stout but it’s not heavy like a Guinness. Quite easy to drink actually with a

low alcohol content. Good beer!

And two appetizers for the price of one!

First Fish tacos.

And Thai chill chicken wings

Let’s start with the wings as they were better than the fish tacos.

As with the most pubs they are deep fried but they actually had a oven roasted feel to them. I think that’s because they weren’t heavily breaded. In fact there is no breading on them at all. And they were perfectly cooked. A nice sweet chili sauce finished them nicely.

The fish tacos were ok.

The addition of mango elevated it. Inside the taco was your typical non-descript white fish that was a bit overcooked. However the abundance of chipotle mayo covered up the dryness of the fish. There was a bit too much slaw as well. I prefer more fish. Cabbage is cheaper than fish though.

We also had a bit of entertainment. One of the severs dropped a full tray of glasses. Whoops!

The DJ was pumping out a mediocre selection of tunes as well. No one dancing though.

So should you find yourself in the area this isn’t a bad place to go.

Nice view, decent food with a good Appy special, and an ok vibe.

7/10

The post The Flying Beaver appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

I’m not usually a fan of food courts. But we didn’t have time to sit down at Cactus or White Spot. But here It’s not called a food court, it’s a dining terrace.

There is the usual selection here at the dining terrace, most of which I will not usually eat at. I’d rather go hungry.

However there is Dinesty Dumpling House. I assume that’s a play on words?

We decided on combo # 8.

Vegetable and pork wontons in a hot and sour sauce and pan fried pork pot stickers.

So neither us were counting on anything spicy so we did get a bit of a surprise when you bit into those dumplings. But once past the unexpected kick they were rather tasty. Very tender and flavourful.

And just look at those potstickers. They are double the size of a normal pot sticker. But apart from that they were like any other potsticker I’ve ever had. Good, but the same.

You know for food court, sorry dining terrace, food not too shabby though.

7/10

The post Dinesty Dumpling House appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

I loved that latte at Propoganda so much and I love Mello donuts so much that I’m going to go back this week.

I think this is probably the best latte I’ve had in Vancouver.

it has a perfect balance.

At Starbucks I can’t drink a regular latte. I have to add vanilla to cover the often burnt espresso. I can taste that in Merilynn’s drinks as she doesn’t have flavoring.

Here though you don’t need any flavor to cover up the beautiful taste of perfectly roasted and drawn espresso and seen milk that is actually done by hand. Not buy a machine.

Yes Starbucks I’m talking to you. You’re automatic machines suck. It may make wait times lower but it makes worse coffee.

and it happens to be just right beside Mello donuts. Isn’t that handy?

And yes the donuts were as great as usual. Sorry no picture. I was eating them too quickly

What a perfect treat.

10/10

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