El Inka Deli

This is only their appetizer menu, they have an actual full menu with entrees etc.

Restaurant: El Inka Deli

Cuisine: Latin American/Columbian/Peruvian
Last visited: January 12, 2010
Area: Burnaby, BC
3826 Sunset Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 6

Ambiance: 3 (hole in the wall; but had authentic charm)

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Husband and wife team
• Family owned/operated
• Owners from Peru
• Hole in the wall
• Authentic Latin American food
• Specializes in Peruvian/Columbian food
• Extensive menu
• Lots of snack/appetizer items
• Very home style
• Everything made in house/home cooked
• Homemade chorizo/sausage
• Authentic Latin drinks
• Service fantastic! (I want to give a 7/6)
• Dine-In/Take-out
• Ready made to-go items
• Some desserts
• Open lunch and dinner until 8pm
• Accepts Visa, Mastercard

**Recommendation: Jalea Mixta

I discovered El Inka Deli a couple months before I started this blog. I was doing my usually research online and after reading rave reviews I immediately put it on my places to try list. I’m never in that area so I never got to try it until this day.

I had made plans to meet Vancouver fashion blogger Nicole, yes it was a fashion + foodie love affair! We thought we had thoroughly planned our date at Vita Bella Italian Ristorante, but an hour before meeting time I double checked the website to discover it was closed on Tuesdays. Damnit!...With last minute planning and limited selection in that area I suggested El Inka Deli. I was originally supposed to make the visit with fellow food blogger and friend Kim (from Panama), however other restaurants got priority. Even in a rush, I did not hesitate to read Kim’s review and write down the order, after all Kim is from South America!

I missed the photo of the outside, so this one is borrowed from Kim.

Located in the tiniest strip mall in the middle of nowhere El Inka Deli joins the list of hole-in-the wall restaurants in Vancouver. El Inka Deli relies on word-of-mouth business and it’s a place that should not be missed. I’ve never been to Latin America, so I’m writing this review from a “North American” stand point. However I’m pretty sure when it comes to food this is the closest thing I will get to the real deal in Vancouver. From the home cooked authentic Latin food, to the Latin soap operas, to the Peruvian imported table mats this place feels like home...that is if I was actually from Latin America. ;p They have an extensive menu, and I’ve only tried 3 things so I can’t make a fair review, but I am certain that I will be back to try more.

I have to make a shout-out to the owners. They are the loveliest people ever! Not only were they great at explaining the menu and making recommendations, but Nicole and I stayed way past closing time (closes at 8pm) without even realizing it, and they made no attempts to kick us out. Overall I had a fabulous Tuesday with great food, great experience and great company!

Other Vancouver hole-in-the wall restaurants include: Thai Basil, Prata-Man Singaporean Cuisine, Dhaka Fish & Biryani Halal Restaurant, “the kitchen”, Panos Greek Taverna, Sushi World, Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen, Budgies Burrito, and no review yet, but must be included the famous Phnom Penh.

On the table:

Cassava Root 3/6

• Deep fried cassava root with hot sauce (I’m pretty sure it was $3)
• The owner recommended it and said it was a very typical Peruvian appetizer.
• Cassava root or yucca root is almost like potato, but firmer, starchier and more fiberous.
• For me this was the South American version of fries. It was perfectly fried until golden brown and crispy. I liked how they weren’t dry (even though it has a naturally dry quality), and they were nicely salted.
• It’s not the fist time I’ve tried it before, but I liked the roasted Cassavafrites that accompanied my Chepen Duck at Baru Latino better.
• They make it great here, but in general the dish doesn’t really do anything for me. It’s good, but something I don’t have to have.
• The hot sauce or salsa: This is pretty spicy, but I liked it! Nicole and I can handle spicy so we thought it was perfect, but for others this may be too hot. It was not just spicy, but it was very flavourful and homemade with green onions, cilantro, chilies, tomatoes and onions. The spice lingers in your mouth so I needed to wait a bit before trying the other dishes.

Jalea Mixta 5/6

• Lettuce, deep fried cassava roots, fish and seafood with an onion and tomato topping $15.99
• Literally meaning “seafood mix” this was another one of her recommendations. It’s a typical Peruvian dish and the owners are from Peru, so I was excited for this.
• It's 4 rather large pieces of deep fried cod mixed with an assortment of deep fried seafood such as mussels, shrimp, octopus and squid. This mountain of deep fried seafood was served on about 4 deep fried cassava roots.
• Everything was fried perfectly with the seafood tender and the fish still moist. It wasn’t oily and the batter stayed attached to the seafood.
• It reminded me of Calamari, but with a pickled salsa on top. The flavour of this dish is savoury and tangy. I liked the salsa because it was marinated in lime juice so the onions were naturally tenderized and sweet, but kept their natural crunch.
• The batter was excellent! It was crispy and not just salty, but it had a wonderful savoury flavour. It had a orange tint and I’m not sure if it was sweet chili seafood seasoning, but it was just really good! It wasn’t spicy, but had more flavour than salt and pepper alone.
• What I didn’t like was that the seafood was frozen. I don’t really expect fresh seafood here, but the shrimp was dime sized baby shrimp, the mussels were the size of peanuts, and the squid were little ringlets. Half the time I didn't know what I was eating unless it was the fish or the octopus. I also didn't get much shrimp or mussels.
  
• It was one of their pricey items and paying $15.99 at a place like this feels kind of steep, however when I take into consideration the small family operation and labour I can understand.
• Also I didn’t pay attention to the menu description, because if I had known that there was deep fried cassava root in it I would have opted for another appetizer.

Bandeja Paisa 4/6

• Red beans cooked with sweet plantain served with platter of ground beef, rice, avocado, a fried egg, deep fried sweet plantains, homemade chorizo (sausage) and chicharron (deep fried pork skin) $15.99
• This dish is hard for me to rate, because I would never order it on my own. I just had to try it though because it’s what Kim ordered and the owner stressed how authentic the dish is to Columbia. It was definitely served and made authentically, but I just don’t like chicharron. It's a very hearty dish with lots of variety. It's a Latin version of a "Hungry Man's" meal. Everything on the platter is supposed to be eaten together – I enjoyed it much better when I mixed it altogether, like I would fried rice...I didn't know how else to eat it.
  
• It was savoury, sweet, and the meats (intentionally) dry, except for the sausage, accompanied with the best creamy red bean 'sauce'.
• Again it was one of their expensive items, but for the labour that goes into each item and the variety I got - it's justified. It's not gourmet by any means, but very home cooked - like mom's...not my mom though ;)
  
• I tried this dish at Marimba! So it was interesting to note the differences. The one at Marimba! was missing one huge thing that I failed to realize until now…the chicharron!
• The Break Down of the Platter:
• Chicharron is deep-fried pork rind, and I am not a fan. It doesn't look nice but I obviously still tried it. It’s an extremely deep fried piece of pork rind, and it’s deep-fried to the point of being dry – but it’s supposed to be. It was very thick and crunchy, like a hearty piece of bacon, but it wasn’t really salty. The reddish brown parts were very dry because it was lean, and the white fatty parts were quite juicy. (The closest thing to this that I can actually enjoy is the Suckling Pig at La Brasserie.)
• The poached egg was a bit overcooked so the yolk didn’t spill over my rice as much as I wanted it to.
• The best part for me was the ultra creamy stewed red beans. It was almost like the gravy to the meal, but it's not meaty or salty. It was a very deep rich flavour, very subtly sweet, smooth and just perfect! It wasn't only stewed red beans though, I have a feeling there was some pureed carrots or something in there. There was another thickening agent and I’ve never had beans like this before. I would order it as a side and eat it alone with some rice!
• The next best thing was the deep fried plantains. This wasn’t a typical banana, but also not a plantain – it’s made with a South American banana that’s in between the two. It doesn’t have a strong banana flavour like regular banana does, and it’s not starchy like a typical plantain, but it carries a honey-like mildly sweet flavour. It was soft and creamy and had a crispy thin layer. It went so well with the beans and almost enhanced the flavour of the beans. It's such a great combination together. We also wanted to eat these plantains with ice cream too!
• I wouldn’t call this “ground beef”. It was more like finely shredded beef jerky. I’m not sure what the authentic way is, but this just caught me off guard. It wasn't too salty and I still liked it.
• The pita was homemade and I think it called “arepa”. It was made with cornmeal and cheese, but it tastes like a very dry pita with a very subtle cheesy taste. It’s not soft or chewy but more grainy and starchy.
• I could have used more avocado. For the size of the platter, I needed at least 2 wedges.
• The homemade chorizo or sausage was good, but again not really for my taste. It was made with pork rind so it was really fatty and I was chewing on pieces of white jelly. This made for an extremely juicy and flavourful chorizo, but again…the texture, is just not for me. I did love the crispy exterior though and overall it was made really well.

Toratatsu Japanese Tapas & Bistro

Restaurant: Toratatsu Japanese Tapas & Bistro

Cuisine: Japanese/Izakaya/Tapas/Fusion
Last visited: December 17, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (West End/Downtown)
735 Denman Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Fusion/contemporary Japanese tapas
• Creative tapas with global influences
• Jazzy/lounge atmosphere
• Features weekly “Top 5” popular choices of the week
• Extensive menu (more options dining in than online)
• Drink menu – focus on wine bar
• Family owned – also own 2 Japanese restaurant chains in Tokyo
• Executive Chef Kodai Uno – youngest son of family, trained at PICA (Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts)
• Japanese owned and operated
• $30/person set menu available
• Extra for Green tea
• Dinner service/Open late
• M-Sun 5-2am
• 
  

**Recommendation: Cheese Tofu, Ebi Chili Mayo

My friend introduced me to Toratatsu Japanese Tapas & Bistro for some late night dining. She was craving their cheese tofu and was determined for me to try it as well. I have walked by it a couple times and it’s easy to skip unless you’re looking for it because it kind of blends in. If I’m on Denman I will most likely go to Kingyo if I’m feeling Japanese Izakaya. I love Izakaya and there are so many of them in Vancouver and I’ve managed to try a decent amount to be able to compare.

So how does Toratatsu Japanese Tapas & Bistro compare?

Guu – is more affordable, more comfort food options, less gourmet

Kingyo – is pricier, but also has better atmosphere, presentation and quality.

Hapa Izakaya – is pricier, but I prefer Hapa Izakaya dishes

Alpha Global Sushi & Bar – is pricier, and has more options

Ping’s Café – is more home style w/Canadian influence, Toratatsu has European influences and is more gourmet

Yuji’s Tapas – is pricier, more gourmet, better presentation and quality

Ebisu – similar pricing, but Toratatsu is more creative than Ebisu

Zakuushi Charcoal Grill – can’t really compare because Zakuushi specializes in charcoal grilled Izakaya

My comparison is very general and each Japanese Izakaya place is unique in their own way. To be fair I have menu recommendations for each restaurant so there’s at least one item I would go back for at each one.

I thought Toratatsu was good, but I’ve also had better. I came here without knowing anything about the restaurant and I still wasn’t blown away, and I feel like I should have been after doing my research. From what I tried I wouldn’t have guessed it would have such a deep history and popular recognition in Japan. The chef is very well trained and experienced yet I don’t think what I ordered showcased it well. I really hope he had a day off when I went because the dishes I didn't like I really didn't like. I would go again because I would like to give it the benefit of the doubt and give it another try, but I’m also in no rush.

Note: Lighting made it impossible to take photos...so please bare with me.

On the table:

• 

**Cheese Tofu 4.5/6

• Creamy mascarpone tofu, toasted almonds, a touch of honey, served with baguette $6.80
• This is their signature item that would make me rush to go back. It was also the item my friend was craving that inspired our entire visit here…and yes it was worth it.
• It’s actually quite simple in ingredients, but the execution is a mystery to me. It’s served cold and I found it to be a very unique dish. I’ve never tried or seen anything really like it before. Truly their signature item!
• The cheese tofu looked like tofu, but it was very smooth and creamy in texture almost like a thick yogurt. It’s a mix of tofu, mascarpone cheese and cream cheese and it’s heavenly and easy to spread. It’s not ooey gooey because it’s chilled and the cheesy taste is very light, but it's there.
• The flavour was sweet from the touch of honey, very slightly savoury from the cheese tofu, and tart from the fresh strawberries you put on top. I love the sweet and tart combination but I think the cheese tofu could have been a bit cheesier tasting. It was almost like a cheese and fruit dessert and we actually ordered it at the end.
• I loved the addition of almonds; however they got soggy so I was missing that crunch. They could have given a few more too.
• The baguette was quite soft and untoasted, which worked well with the soft cheese tofu. I just wanted the almonds crunchy to give it more texture.

**Ebi Chili Mayo 4.5/6

• Our famous tiger prawn tempura with our original chili mayo, almonds, won ton crisps $8.00
• It seems like every Izakaya restaurant has their version. I can’t say I care too much for Ebi Chili Mayo, not to say I haven’t tried it, it’s just I can’t really compare it as well to other places. It’s recommended, on their weekly “top 5” list, and “famous” at Toratatsu so I had to order it.
• The batter was a regular flour batter, but it was very crispy and puffy. I loved the tiger prawns which were huge. They were cooked perfectly and very crunchy and juicy. That was the best part! It’s a very creamy dish with a slightly spicy and very rich mayo sauce.
• I loved how it came with almonds, which is different, but they were untoasted so that was a big “no-no” for me. They should really toast them to enhance the flavour.

Prawn Gyoza 1.5/6

• Pan fried gyoza dumplings with Kurobuta pork and prawns $7.80
• I don’t remember if this was recommended or popular, but it wasn’t my choice to order it. I wouldn’t recommend it.
• It came out in a big clump. It was 6 gyozas that were stuck together like they had been frozen for too long. It was like a gyoza patty, but with very little stuffing. If it had tasted good I would let the presentation slip. It was very gummy from the over frozen or over cooked process.
• 
• The prawns were overcooked. It was more like shrimp than it was a prawn and they put an entire piece in one gyoza. I would rather have it minced up because they toughness of the prawn really stood out.
• The sauce was a ponzu sauce, a soy and citrus vinaigrette with that spicy Japanese seasoning powder in it.

Calamari 1.5/6

• Deep fried squid with house made dipping sauce. I’m not sure of the price because it’s not on their online menu, but I wouldn’t order it so it doesn’t matter.
• I did not like this. I would give it a 1/6, but the dipping sauce was not bad so I added the .5.
• The squid was overcooked and tough and it was also crunchy. It was really weird. It wasn’t like seafood crunchy either it was crunchy like eating soft bones crunchy. Yes – I was not a fan.
• The dipping sauce was almost like a cole slaw mayo. It was pretty different and I didn’t mind it. It had minced up celery, carrots, and onions with Japanese mayo and kind of tasting a little like Thousand Island dressing.
  

Gindara Saikyo Yaki 3/6

• Saikyo Miso marinated Sablefish served with sweet potato puree $9.80
• The Sablefish was good with a nice crispy skin, but it didn’t have any sauce. It needed to be marinated longer, especially if there’s no sauce, because it lacked a bit of flavour.
• The sweet potato puree was very creamy and I loved the texture. I think it was a mix of sweet potato, yams, and maybe some mayo, cream and butter. It wasn’t rich, but the texture was great. I don’t know how well it went with the fish though. I think it looked nice, but was more of a side.

Ishiyaki Risotto 4/6

• Risotto of seared scallops, mushrooms, Iwanori seaweed served in a hot stone bowl $8.30
• If I were to highlight another dish it would be this one. The portion and price is decent for worth it. It’s one of their most popular items as well.
• It was more of a Korean bimbimbop than an Italian risotto to me. With the texture they were aiming for risotto, but with the execution and ingredients it was Asian.
• They mix it at your table so there’s a little bit of a show. I usually don’t serve it right away to allow the rice to crisp up on the sides of the hot stone bowl. However in this case I think you should serve it somewhat immediately because it is supposed to be an interpretation of risotto.
• 
• There were 4 scallops but they were very tough. We didn’t leave it long in the stonf bowl either.
• It was loaded with oyster and shiitake mushrooms and it alm ost tasted like cream of mushroom soup mixed with rice.
• The rice wasn’t Arborio rice, and just that alone makes it not a risotto.

Azuki Senbei Ice Cream 3.5/6

• Vanilla ice cream with sweet red bean paste and rice crackers $3
• The red bean paste is the texture of peanut butter. It’s not too s weet or syrupy, which surprisingly I liked better. (I don’t like red bean ever).
• The rice crackers are awesome! I thought it was honeycomb until I remembered they were rice crackers. They’re a little salty and it doesn’t bother me because you c ouldn’t even tell. It was a great idea.

Crème Brulee 2/6

• With a twist…caramelized right in front of you! $3 (Description from the menu)
• This was just a regular crème brulee unlike the super ex otic gourmet one I had at CinCin’s.

  

• At Toratatsu they do the blow torching right at your table so that’s kind of fun. They also pour some sake on it and light it up last minute before serving. I couldn’t taste it though…it’s very little.

  

• The crème brulee had a tofu like texture and it’s not very sweet. It was very standard, but the show was fun. The burnt sugar on top was a bit uneven, but for $3 + a show, I won't be picky.
  

Green Tea

• They charge for Matcha powder green tea....that was not impressive.
• I expected actual green tea leaves if I'm going to be paying for my tea.
• 

Ceili’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Restaurant: Ceili’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Cuisine: American
Last visited: December 15, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
670 Smithe
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3 (based on 2 appetizers I tried)
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 2.5
Additional comments:

• Canadian mini chain pub & restaurant
• New menu
• Traditional UK/Irish pub food w/a couple BC influences
• Pub atmosphere, good for watching spots
• Good for drinks & appetizers
• Every Thursday 7pm “Irish Dinner Party” (appie + entrée + beer $20)
• Daily specials
• Late night
• Live music – dance floor
• M-T 4pm-late
• Friday 4pm-3am
• Saturday 3pm-3am
• Sunday 3pm-late

**Recommendation: Bushmill’s Whiskey Ribs, Shepherd’s pie and nachos are most popular, but I haven’t tried them.

I would never think to come to Ceili’s Irish Pub and Restaurant for the food. I know a few of my friends come here on the weekend, but this was my first visit. It’s a great place for socializing, late night snacking, drinking, and watching the game. I rarely do the later 2 activities, but I definitely participate in the first 2.

Browsing their menu, I found that a lot of items were suitable for lunch. They offer standard soups, sandwiches and burgers…now too bad they’re not open for lunch. The mains are more or less traditional UK pub items. The only thing missing was the mushy peas, beans and black pudding – which I guess is more England than Ireland. In that case the only thing missing was the soda bread and Coddle!

I guess the chef (who has been there for 6 months) heard through the grapevine that I was a “food reviewer/blogger” so he came out to introduce himself. However it doesn’t affect my review because I’m literally copying and pasting the notes I wrote for the food before I met the chef. I have only tried 2 appetizers, but apparently they were 2 of the most popular appetizers. Therefore this review doesn’t give a good idea of what the food is like overall. However I can always review the items I did try…and these Bushmill’s Whiskey Ribs are worth a mention.

On the table:

Bushmill’s Whiskey Ribs 5.5/6

• One pound of slow-cooked baby back ribs tossed in Bushmill’s Whiskey BBQ sauce. Ribs also available in wing sauce choices. $12.75
• These ribs were falling off the bones tender! All I really wanted was to try a bite because I had just come from dinner. (Surprise surprise) Anyways I literally tried ripping off a piece from one rib and the entire piece of meat slipped off it. As soon as that happened it wa s over – I knew I was in for a wicked good rib. The meat was so tender I barely needed to chew it. They were nice big ribs that had a lot of meat on them too.
• It came with this thick sticky and bold barbeque sauce or glaze. The barbeque sauce isn't made completely in house because they have a contract with ___________ BBQ sauce, which I don’t remember the name of it right now. However the chef adds his own spices to make the sauce better.I ding them .5 because nothing beats homemade barbeque sauce.
  
• Part of his add-ins is the Bushmill’s Whiskey. This is a really traditional Irish whiskey and it gave the sauce this malted flavour and a nice tangy kick. It was sweet and tangy and he also cooked the sauce with some red onions. The onions got so caramelized and stringy and were disguised in the sauce. I didn’t even see them until I bit into one of the ribs with an onion latching on…it was awesome!

Cork Country Calamari 2.5/6

• Tender squid, light lemon pepper batter, garlic tzatziki, diced green and red onions $11.75
• The seasoning on the calamari tasted like the seasoning you would put on Buffalo wings. It was similar to (or was) a Cajun spice and reminded me of that orange spice they would season a crispy chicken sandwich with. I could taste salt, cayenne, paprika, and some garlic powder and maybe a dash of hot sauce in the batter. I have sensitive taste buds :) It wasn’t really spicy for me, but it did carry some heat.
• What I didn't like about this dish was that the calamari pieces were really small, so they got too heavily battered. They had a few decent pieces, but most of the time it was almost like eating popcorn shrimp.
• The dip was a tzataiki yogurt dip but with no herbs and seasonings. It tasted more like yogurt to me.

The Hub Restaurant & Lounge

Restaurant: The Hub Restaurant & Lounge - Review

Cuisine: American/Pub food
Last visited: December 1, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Yaletown/Downtown)
1165 Mainland Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5 (Based on signature items)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Pub/comfort food/classic American or UK dishes
• A couple classics w/twists
• Pub food served nicely on white plates
• Wine list/bar
• Attracts ages 30-45
• Focus on appies
• Brunch served on weekends until 2pm
• Old/classic rock music
• Good for sports fans/games
• Casual, but lively
• Happy/Appy hour 4-6pm $6
• Hearty food
• Hub prime rib special after 5pm Sunday and Monday 16.99 9oz

**Recommendation: Wok squid, Lobster Wings, Chocolate Chip Pazookie

The Hub is a new restaurant that just opened in Yaletown. It was previously Brown’s Social House and the owners are still the same however the restaurant is now new and independently owned. For me it was more restaurant/pub/sports bar than lounge. It attracts a 30-45 year old crowd and it’s one of those casual places where they serve traditional pub food on nice white square plates.

Located in Yaletown it faces lot of competition. So how does it compare?

Society – The Hub has same comfort food concept, but it’s less gourmet & trendy. Society is more lounge.

Glowbal – The Hub serves their version of Kobe meatballs, but I didn’t try them yet.

Yaletown Brewery – The Hub serves more traditional items (a couple globally inspired ones eg: Wok squid, Teriyaki rice bowl)…and it has the same sports bar atmosphere, but attracts an older crowd

I came here on a night of an event – their grand opening, so under the circumstances I can’t comment on the service or overall food on a usual night. I personally experienced good service this night though. I sampled their signature dishes, so I will comment on those. That being said, I cannot speak for their overall food since I tried most of the favourites.

The Hub’s claim to fame or signature dishes include:

hubSNAX: wok squid, lobster wings, poutine, bruschetta

hubMAINS: crispy chicken club, beef dip, crab mac n’ cheese, red wine braised beef

hubSWEETS: pazookie

For my review on The Hub's signature dessert: "The Pazookie"

The photos are not representable of what they actually serve since everything I had was sample size…except for the Wok Squid, bruschetta and Pazookie.

On the table:

• **Wok Squid 4/6
• Tossed with garlic, chilies and ginger $10

• Basically calamari with an Asian spin. It tastes like deep fried squid you would get at a Chinese place, but made by white people. It’s still good though. The squid was lightly battered and tender, not tough.

  

• They use fresh ginger, red chilies, and green onions.
• It’s a little spicy and has a nice heat at the end which I like. (Spicier than lobster wings)
• It doesn’t say on the menu, but make sure you get it with their homemade sesame ginger dipping sauce. Great combo because the squid has heat and the dip cool s it down. The balance is great.

• It looked and tasted almost like tzatziki, which I wasn’t expecting. It’s probably made with either yogurt or sour cream. It tastes like sour cream mixed with sesame and ginger vinaigrette salad dressing. It was cool and tangy and the sesame and ginger taste came through.

  

• **Lobster Wings 5/6
• Crispy coating, sesame ginger dipping sauce $13

• Yes! A lobster wing! You can only imagine my excitement when I saw this. They serve 2 lobster tails split in half. So you get 4 “lobster wings in total”. That would be enough just for me. But I guess if you have to share…I would only share with one more person.

• It has a very light crispy coating or dusting, which is great because you don’t want to waste the natural flavour of the lobster by masking it with a thick batter. The batter is seasoned with salt and something else that carries a little heat...maybe paprika? (The wok squid is spicier)

• The menu says it comes with the sesame ginger dipping sauce, but they decided to go back to tradition and served it with clarified butter. I tried it with the sesame ginger dipping sauce and it was good, but to be honest I actually enjoyed these lobster wings plain. It didn’t need any dips. The batter was seasoned enough and the lobster meat was crunchy and tender…would hate to mask any of those flavours or textures.

• For $13 it is a pricier appy, but you have to somewhat expect it if you’re getting 2 lobster tails. Hmm I wonder if this is on their happy hour menu. Because that would be such a deal for $6! I think it is since the menu says ALL hubSNAX, but they probably give you less. I just don’t really how well this item will do since it is a bit “gourmet”. How many guys go watch the game thinking let’s order some lobster wings? I hope it stays…for selfish reasons.
• Bruschetta on Filone Bread 2/6
• Tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, shaved Asiago $8

• This was really average for me. It can’t compete with Glowbal’s Bruschetta sampler, but that one is in a different league.I really like that one.
  

  

• The tomatoes were a bit powdery in texture. I wonder if they used BC tomatoes rather than Roma. It was missing onions and seasonings. They drizzled balsamic glaze over top, but it was nothing I couldn’t put together at home. The Filone bread was nice and crunchy though.
• Crispy Chicken Club 2.5/6 (on left)
• Fresh Filone Bread, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pepper jack cheese $13

• The good: The chicken for sure! This was the crispiest chicken; I almost thought I was eating ground peanuts. Nothing soggy about this, it had almost a nutty flavour because it was so crispy and the chicken was still juicy.

• The bad: I didn’t like how thick the Filone bread was. It got overpowering and I couldn’t taste the other ingredients.

• Beef Dip 3/6 (on right)
• Fresh Filone Bread, prime rib, au jus $14

• Relatively thick slices of beef, not shavings. It’s prime rib so it worked. It was very buttery and juicy meat. The meat was actually kind of fatty so that’s probably why it was so juicy too. They used some grainy mustard instead of horseradish, and I think they could have used a bit more. I would have also like some caramelized onions.

• Unlike the chicken club, the Filone bread worked for the beef dip . Since you would dip it into the au jus, having a thick bread would allow it to easily absorb all those flavours.

  

• Crab Mac & Cheese 2.5/6
• Gruyere, Parmesan, Aged Cheddar, garlic bread $15

• You know I love mac & cheese, so I can get quite particular about it.

• The cheese sauce was creamier rather than stringy and I like it when it’s creamy AND stringy. You could taste the buttery Gruyere, but it wasn’t really cheesy in flavour. It actually had a little heat to it too. Most of the items had some degree of spiciness, which made the food more bold/pub-ish.

• There was crab throughout, but I didn't really like the type of crab they were using, or maybe it was how it was used. It was so flaked I couldn’t tell if it was crab or unmelted grated white cheddar cheese. It was a bit dark too so I couldn’t see what I was eating. I didn't know it was crab until I re-read the menu.

  

• Red Wine Braised Beef
• Rich demi-glaze, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables $20

• I don’t even know how to rate this since it was only a sample…I would need to go back and re-order it to be fair. All the other I can an idea, but with a dish like this – a sample won’t do it. If I were to rate it as a sample I’d say 3.5

• The demi-glaze was reduced with a nice red wine and it tasted like a rich gourmet beef gravy. It was sweet and also savoury and goes great with the mash. They actually used the same demi-glaze as the gravy for their poutine.

• The beef was very lean and the cut was a brisket. It was tender, but not shred away with your fork tender. You still had to work at it a bit, but it was still good. Maybe they could marinade the meat longer to tenderize it…I bet they do slow cook it for a while so I don’t think that’s the part that needs attention. I think it would have been a 5/6 if they used the rib instead of brisket…but it would also be more expensive.

• The mash was a traditional creamy mash...it was actually very creamy and very smooth. There was nothing fancy about them, no chopped chives or roasted garlic, just a creamy smooth, very pureed mash. I liked it.

For my review on The Hub's signature dessert: "The Pazookie"