Metro Vancouver Restaurant News thread

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

starbucks on cambie in the Rise is closed for a renovation

The renovated one at Robson & Richards looks okay
- nothing special I don't think (from the outside)

[SpongeG]

they were talking about dunkin donuts in another thread in the skybar, but does anybody remember the Dunkin donuts that was combined with a Togo's at station Square in the late 90's?

I remember lining up to see the phantom menace, our showing was like 5:30 am, we got there at like 11:00 pm or something, and dunkin and Togo's was one of the only things open all night at that time really.

Togo's were so good, would love one right now lol

Also I've never seen Pastrami at any Subway in BC or Alberta. Do they have it anywhere in Canada? Not a favourite but once in a while a pastrami sub is pretty good. You can get it at Subway restaurants in the states.


restaurantmagazine.com

[SpongeG]

Ricky’s, Fatburger franchise owner buys Famoso

Entrepreneur Frank Di Benedetto’s FDF Restaurant Brandz set to close the deal on May 31

By Glen Korstrom | May 7, 2018

Famoso Pronto eateries are likely to open in high-density locations, such as downtown Vancouver, and Di Benedetto said the concept will be offered first to current Famoso franchisees.

Meanwhile, seven new Ricky’s restaurants and 12 new Fatburger restaurants are under development and are set to open by the fall of 2019.

Fatburger restaurants are so far only in the four western provinces, but Di Benedetto said Ontario could soon be in his sights.

“We continue to look for the right market-entry strategy, and it’s conceivable that we might [open in Ontario],” he said. “That’s something I can’t speak in overt detail about, but it is certainly a strategy of ours.”

https://biv.com/article/2018/05/rickys-fatburger-franchise-owner-buys-famoso

[mezzanine]

FYI I suspect there is new management at adesso bistro as they changed the menu, for worse.

I really liked adeso before when they had a hyper-specialty in ligurian/genoese food from Italy (you could find trofie here!), especially seafood. Now they made it more generic with "regular" Italian food, less dishes to choose from, less seafood and also jacked up prices at the same time.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

FYI I suspect there is new management at adesso bistro as they changed the menu, for worse.

I really liked adeso before when they had a hyper-specialty in ligurian/genoese food from Italy (you could find trofie here!), especially seafood. Now they made it more generic with "regular" Italian food, less dishes to choose from, less seafood and also jacked up prices at the same time.

What a shame. It was one of my favourite hidden gems.

[SpongeG]

A business called Perverted Ice Cream is coming to Vancouver

Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver Is Awesome
MAY 10, 2018

“Ice cream with a twist” is the slogan for a new soft serve ice cream shop opening up in downtown Vancouver. Except, based on their pre-opening marketing, Perverted Ice Cream‘s “twist” is…sex.

Ice cream is lots of things: Indulgent, fun, celebratory, comforting, cross-generational. But kinky? There is the “ice cream scene” in 50 Shades Freed…but I’m not sure we have a case of life imitating art here.

Slated to go into 797 Thurlow Street, Perverted Ice Cream recently posted a video teaser showing a very impressive continuous stream of what appears to be chocolate and vanilla twisted soft serve being swirled with pop-R&B singer Dawin’s “Dessert” playing:

...

http://www.vancourier.com/living/a-busin...-cream-is-coming-to-vancouver-1.23298330

[SpongeG]

Sweet Jesus Bringing Finger-Licking Salvation to Vancouver

Known for their irreverent style, controversial marketing, and outrageous ice cream treats, Toronto-based Sweet Jesus will finally open up a shop in Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby this July.

Sweet Jesus is known for their eye-catching over-the-top decked out cones like the Birthday Cake (vanilla soft serve, cream cheese icing, birthday cake bits, rainbow sprinkles) and the Hella Nutella (chocolate and vanilla twist soft serve, Nutella, wafer cookies, Corn Flakes, toasted pistachios). Also offered are extremely loaded shakes, Cake Batter Hot Chocolate, bottled Holy Water, and take-out pints.

Sweet Jesus’ creamy treats are currently dispensed at 17 locations (permanent, pop-up, and food court) in Canada primarily in Ontario, with one 394-square-foot shop in the Southgate Centre food court in Edmonton.

Parent company Monarch & Misfits itself started as a pop-up and now has four food-based brands – Sweet Jesus (Soft Serve, Espresso, and Dessert), La Carnita (Mexican Street Food), Home of the Brave (Southern Cooking with Northern Hospitality, and Good Fortune (Late night cocktail and snack bar).

...

https://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2018/5/brief-helen-siwak-may-10-2018

[officedweller]

All you can eat Dim Sun at The Parq ($38.88) weekends.

Definitely worth it - the service was very attentive and they brought samplers of some other dishes
(a dumpling dish, Gai Lan & Peking duck salad) to try to drum up business.
You can order 5 dishes at a time, so that they come out hot.

All pics by me.




Signature Crisp Chicken & Mushroom


In steamer, Sea Cucumber, Enoki Mushroom, Dried Bean Curd


Lotus Leaf wrapped Chicken, Pork & Glutinous Rice


BBQ Pork Bun & Shanghainese Pork Soup Dumpling


Pork and Century Egg Congee, Mushroom Trio Rice Roll, Egg Yolk Bun & Shrimp Dumpling


Egg Yolk Bun


Red Bean and Coconut Pudding & Duck and Mashed Taro Puff


Deep Fried Durian Pastry, Duck and Mashed Taro Puff & Mango Pudding

*************

Here's the regular lunch menu - pricey (but the beverages are reasonable)

[officedweller]

The plastic straw ban is set to create a bubble tea crisis:

https://pricetags.ca/2018/05/13/tea-mageddon-flee-for-the-hills/

[officedweller]

Pics from Daily Hive of the Grosvenor Ambleside Earls.
Anyone else think adding "Beach" to "Ambleside" is trying too hard?

http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grosvenor-ambleside-west-vancouver-earls-restaurant

The inside looks like a White Spot!?!


http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grosvenor-ambleside-west-vancouver-earls-restaurant

[SpongeG]

it looks like a California Pizza Kitchen

[officedweller]

Vietnamese #restaurant to open in the Granville Entertainment Districthttps://twitter.com/GranvilleStreet

[SpongeG]

North America's largest Indian Buffet opens June 1 in Delta. This is their first BC location, they have 2 in Ontario.

Tandoori Flame

http://tandooriflame.com/tandoori-flame-grand-indian-buffet-delta-surrey-spring-2018/

[SpongeG]

New York times article

The Best Asian Food in North America? Try British Columbia

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/04/travel/richmond-bc-asian-chinese-food-restaurants.html

But their presence also means Richmond has become a one-stop paradise for lovers of Asian food. These days, when I’m hankering for a plate of Hainan chicken rice, xiao long bao (soup dumplings) from Shanghai, or an oyster omelet sautéed Chiuchow style, I know I can find it in Richmond. I’ve lately found myself planning my layovers at Vancouver International — now North America’s leading hub for flights to Asia — around forays to a string of shopping centers and strip malls, which are a 15-minute ride from the airport via elevated Skytrain from the airport.

Mr. Medrano insisted we brave the long lineup at Chef James Xin Jiang Man BBQ, where the white-toqued James Chen, who, during the day, works as a chef at Vancouver’s high-end Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, was rearranging skewers of chicken, beef and lamb kidney between bursts of flame from a smoke-shrouded grill.

“When I first came to Richmond, it was a very sleepy town,” recalled Mr. Medrano, after we’d secured an empty table to share our booty. “The only rice we could buy was Uncle Ben’s.” The Asian presence in Richmond started around the time of the 1986 World Expo, he said, with a wave of affluent Hong Kongers. “I remember one Chinese grocery store opened across from City Hall, and a few restaurants formed around that nucleus.”

“Now they’re everywhere,” he continued, “and you can find everything you’d find in China. I’ve had rooster testicles, bubble tea made with super-high-end pu-erh, and old-school Hong Kong standards like beef brisket on rice and hot lemon Coke.” Gnawing on one of Mr. Chen’s charred honey garlic prawns, which had been marinated in the Chinese Muslim style with chili oil and sprinkled with cumin, he added: “Or what we’re eating now: uncompromising Uyghur-style barbecue from northwest China.”

When I asked him how the quality of seafood and vegetables in Richmond compares to what he’d worked with in Hong Kong, his Cantonese reply was accompanied by an expressive eye-roll. Ms. Yuen translated: “He says he doesn’t even want to talk about vegetables and fish from China. The water here is much less polluted. Their kitchen sources all of their seafood and greens from suppliers in Richmond and Vancouver.”

“Richmond has the best Chinese food outside of greater China — full stop,” Mr. Man told me, as Kirin’s attentive staff placed a succession of dumplings around a complimentary plate of house-made XO sauce, chewy with dried fish and shrimp. “Sure, there are pockets of good Chinese food in Queens, the Bay Area and more and more in Los Angeles. Toronto has a lot of high-end, expense-account eating. But Richmond is superlative.”

To illustrate his point, Mr. Man lifted up one of the steamed rice rolls from the plate we were sharing — its wrapper had the elasticity of the finest of French crepes. “Kirin grinds their own rice flour to make a batter, and then they steam it over a cloth, and then let it set into a noodle.” Inside were exquisitely delicate stalks of asparagus and sweet local scallops.

[whatnext]

I see the old Denny’s on Broadway now has a For Lease sign - developer getting cold feet about building in a cooling market?

[domusile]

Originally Posted by whatnext

I see the old Denny’s on Broadway now has a For Lease sign - developer getting cold feet about building in a cooling market?

Doubt it. It could be for the upcoming retail portion as part of the new development. Or if Denny's is vacating ASAP, they might be testing the water on somebody who wants month-to-month for some holding income.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

I see the old Denny’s on Broadway now has a For Lease sign - developer getting cold feet about building in a cooling market?

There's no cooling market for rental. The sign is for the two storey retail/office space in the replacement building. Denny's have already moved westwards on W Broadway, and there's been some removal in the old building already, which is now boarded up.

[SpongeG]

Has Guylian opened yet? They have numerous locations in Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and South Korea.

They look pretty nice

[GeeCee]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Has Guylian opened yet? They have numerous locations in Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and South Korea.

They look pretty nice

Are you perhaps thinking of Belgian Chocolate Cafe? You brought them opening up locally in the retail thread a few months ago..

https://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2018/4/brief-april-6-2018

I can't find anything about Guylian opening anywhere in Canada.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Changing City

There's no cooling market for rental. The sign is for the two storey retail/office space in the replacement building. Denny's have already moved westwards on W Broadway, and there's been some removal in the old building already, which is now boarded up.

Vancouver rents stop growing, listings spike...
https://globalnews.ca/news/4267960/vancouver-rental-costs/