Charlie’s Restaurant & Bar

Restaurant: Charlie’s Restaurant & Bar

Cuisine: Pizza/Mediterranean/Italian
Last visited: March 9, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Yaletown/Downtown)
1265 Hamilton Street
Price Range: $20-30

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

Food: 3.5
Service: n/a (Media dinner)
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 3.5 (food is on generally good, but not worth it)
Additional comments:

• Chef Brian Ritchot
• Chef from Montreal, one from Spain
• DJ’s/live music on weekends
• Contemporary, sleek, posh atmosphere
• Great for groups
• Specializes in gourmet pizzas
• Mediterranean/Italian options
• Longue like atmosphere
• One large projection screen TV
• Open late
• Pizzas available for take out
• Dinner service only

**Recommendation: Short Rib Pizza, prosciutto di Parma 18 Month, Duck Pizza, Banoffee Pie

I was invited to a media dinner at Charlie’s Restaurant & Bar so the food served this evening was complimentary. However there were no expectations from Charlie’s Restaurant & Bar and the review represents my true and honest opinions.

Overall the evening was very pleasant and the food was good. However if I were to imagine myself as a regular diner I would probably think great atmosphere, good food, but over priced. It’s “Yaletown Pizza”. Better than Opus Bar pizza for sure. Nothing tasted bad, but when you’re paying for it you get more critical. There are things in the recipe or cooking method that could be improved. I would have liked to see smaller sized pizzas at a reasonable price…which they may consider. I just don’t want to share 1 14 inch pizza if I’m having dinner with one other person…and if we order more we’re looking at a steep bill with lots of leftovers.

They offer pastas and a couple mains but their focus is pizza. I liked the thin crust and made in house aspects but it was at times inconsistent and some were crispier than others. I'm not being too picky either - it was a significant difference. However the pizza crust has a slight garlic powder flavour which is great! Also there’s decent leopparding on the bottom of all the crusts – sign of pizza crust cooked properly.

Soggier crust on 1st pizza.

Crisp crust on last pizza!

I attended the evening with Victoria from Victoria’s Food Secrets. 9 courses later and we still had room for one more dessert…so we just reached for the unfinished dessert down the table. ;)

Oh and no – that is not Charlie and the owner’s name is not Charlie…Charlie is a fictional character the restaurant and food is inspired by.

The dessert portion of dinner at Charlie's Restaurant + Bar.

On the table:

House Marinated Olives 4/6

• Citrus & fresh herbs $6
• Olives are olives and there were a variety which I liked.
  
• I like olives so I liked them. The marinade was good, but also standard.

Grappa Cured Salmon 3.5/6

• Cream fraiche, cucumber, mint, salmon roe and lemon zest $15
• Very fresh and big piece of salmon. Quite a simple dish that sounds more interesting. A sharing appy.
  
• I liked the levels of saltiness from this – the salty bite of salmon roe, fresh sea salt on top of the salmon and then the fresh caper berry. The cream fraiche helped to balance and round out the flavours.
• The cucumber, mint and lemon zest was more for décor and not enough to actually add to the dish.
• Not sure how much this appy suits the restaurant, but it’s still good.

Prosciutto di Parma 18 Month 5.5/6

• With pea mousse, snow pea tendrils, a poached egg, two crostini, and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.
• Not on current menu, but will be added at end of month. Price TBC. I would hope $12-14.
  
• Great combo of flavours and loved the plating. Prosciutto roses!
  
• I loved the pea mousse. Its very light and fluffy. I recommended them to add Mascarpone to the mousse to give it creaminess and richness. Drool.
• I could taste some tuffle oil on the prosciutto – great touch!

• The poached egg could have been even softer and there were fresh green peas underneath it all. Loved the textures of it altogether.
• It definitely needs a few more crostini for the portion.

Meatball Pizza 2/6

• Spicy tomato sugo, pork meatballs, fontina, smoked speck and fresh oregano $23
• It was good, but for $23 I wouldn’t order it. It’s a bit too basic for me anyways so I wouldn’t have ordered it on a regular basis.
• The best part was the Fontina, except it made the pizza extra greasy which eventually made the thin crust a bit soggy.
• It was homemade Italian Sausage meatballs. They were ok but a bit dry and not a highlight. The pizza also wasn’t spicy to me and there wasn’t much oregano. Maybe they should shred them up and spread them around.

Smoked Salmon Pizza 3/6

• Salsa verde, house-smoked salmon, red onion, capers, arugula preserve, lemon and goat cheese $25
• Lots of stuff going on here, but I did like it.
• I liked the big pieces of salmon and there was a decent amount of creamy goat cheese crumbles…a little goes a long way.
• It was salty, slightly peppery and the salsa verde got nicely baked in the oven so it gave off a nutty flavour and crispy texture. It was quite a herby salsa.
• It was almost like an arugula salad tossed on top so it was quite fresh tasting – the heaviness comes from the goat’s cheese. Some could like this idea and others might find the salad messy and distracting. I liked it.

Roast Potatoes – Side 3.5/6

• The potatoes were very flavourful, fluffy and buttery but the skins were not crispy enough.

• If we stopped here I would have been slightly underwhelmed...until...
  

Short Rib Pizza 5.5/6

• Tomato sugo, braised short ribs, caramelized onion, mozzarella, horseradish cream and green onions $25
• This was my favourite of the night!
  
• Lots of short rib, but it was a bit dry. I like how I can see it but this method dried out the meat during baking.
• The beef could have been more marinated to compensate for the drying out. There’s definitely some dried herb they cooked it with so there's still some flavour.
  
• I loved the fresh spicy horseradish cream! It’s spicy, but it tastes like they made it milder so it wouldn’t be overpowering. it also added some sauce/juice to the meat.
  

Duck Pizza 4/6

• Porcini sauce, smoked duck, roast portabellini mushrooms, tallegio, radicchio and truffle oil $25
• This had so much potential and it was very good but I was very bothered by the duck part…which is the main part. It had almost completely dried out during baking and it came off as roast beef. Since it was thin slices of duck it really came off as roast beef.

• You can see how the duck meat is dry and wrinkly. So it was good, but disappointing in that one aspect.
  
• I liked the mushroom flavour throughout though. Nice layers of mushroom flavour including the big slices of juicy Potabellini and truffle oil which I could taste.
• It was a bit on the salty side and I would have liked more shredded cabbage for more of a crunch.

Drinks

Keep in mind I’m not much of a drinker – watch this video to see why.

Champers Thyme 2/6

• Apple, cucumber, thyme smashed with agave syrup, Henrick’s, Prosecco crown $11
• A sparking cocktail to start the night. Couldn’t taste much apple, but cucumber and thyme stood out. Refreshing, but quite bitter (from Thyme) and tart.

Cocktail 1265 2.5/6

• Blood orange, grapefruit, juniper berries, pine nuts, basil, grapefruit bitters, Vodka $10
• I thought I would like this more than I did. Pretty strong drink. The pine nuts are pureed it so it has a very subtle nutty flavour. Bold, citrusy and slightly sweet, actually quite bitter.

Devil 4/6

• Sliced fennel, cloves, cherry syrup, Cazadores Reposado tequila, cherry bitters and ginger beer $11
• I don’t like Tequila, and this was the best drink. It’s surprisingly sweet because of the cherries and it just worked very well. It has a warm spice and slight licorice taste.

The dessert portion of dinner.

Au Wing Kee - Burnaby

Restaurant: Au Wing Kee

Cuisine: Chinese
Last visited: March 4, 2010
Area: Burnaby, BC (Burnaby South)
5226 Kingsway
Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 4.5
Service: 2

Ambiance: 1.5

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• 2 locations: Burnaby/Vancouver
• Congee & Noodle house
• Hole in the wall, but popular
• A bit/quite dirty
  
• Quick & cheap eats
• The No. 9 of Burnaby, but better
• Very familiar to Chinese locals
• Traditional Cantonese cuisine
• Famous for congee
• Extensive menu
• Lunch combos 11am-5:30pm
• Great for snacks/late night snacks (9pm-1am)
• Late night
• Open Mon-Sun 11am – 1am
• Cash only
• Dine in/Take-out
• Parking at rear

**Recommendation: Congee, Wonton noodles (they’re popular here although I haven’t tried it yet)

This place has been around for ages! It’s a totally hole in the wall dive that is very familiar to Chinese people. It’s pretty much the No. 9 of Burnaby, but much better. I don’t even mind No. 9 actually, you have to lower your standards for cheap late night, open 24 hour eats...you have to admit the place is packed with Chinese people all the time! It's like Hon's Won Ton Noodle House.

Au Wing Kee specializes in congee and noodles, but they offer everything from chow mien, hot pot, seafood, to late night snacks. They even have a tank filled with live seafood like crab and lobster. The food is fresh, made upon order – not gourmet, but a quick, casual bite that is very easy on the wallet.

This is more or less a tribute review to those suffering from the stomach flu, cold or virus. Too many of us have been hit. I think I was first to catch the stomach flu out of the food bloggers in Vancouver, and since then it has spread like wild fire. Everything we ordered is more or less what older generation traditional Chinese people order when they’re not feeling well. In particular the 2 types of congee we ordered are really high in nutrition and have tons of calcium, protein, and iron.

On the table:

Dried Fillet with Peanut & Spare Ribs Congee 3.5/6

• $4.50
  

• It’s not really for the Western tastes buds, but it is very traditional Chinese food. It would be probably rated higher for Chinese people.
  

• The spare ribs aren’t the Western type of spare ribs that are really meaty. They’re really small and boney and the bones are what they use to flavour the congee.
  

• The meat it does have is pretty chewy and the type of meat is a cheap kind. I’m not a fan, but again it is authentic and for $4.50 you’re not going to get high quality spare ribs.
  

• I loved the dried fillet. Throughout the congee there are pieces of dried fish or “fillet”. It tastes like dried scallops and it’s almost jerky like. It’s salty and has a preserved fishy taste that I like.
• The peanuts are whole peanuts and they’re really soft. It gives the congee a little nuttiness.
• The congee itself is really delicious and creamy. They do a great job with that here. It’s really infused with all the flavours of the ingredients used.
  

Dace Fish Ball & Watercress Congee 2/6

• $4.95 – rating would be much higher for Chinese people
• This isn’t for the Western taste buds either. However for Chinese taste buds, they do a pretty good job with this congee.
• I was not a fan of this type of congee.

• It’s loaded with 8 dace fish balls are very fresh and made in house. It’s a mixture of fish paste, dried orange peel, scallions and white pepper. Very nutritious...but for me not delicious. What I hated was that the fish bones are pureed into the mixture and I could taste and bite into them. It was like scales. However for Chinese people that’s a good thing because it means it’s freshly ground up fish. The orange peel was very strong, but not bitter…but it’s just not for me.

• At the bottom of the bowl is the watercress. It’s thrown in raw, but cooks with the hot congee poured on top.
• The congee base is great. It’s lighter in taste than the spare rib congee, but still nice and creamy.

Sautéed Lettuce in Slice Pepper w/ Preserved Bean Curd Sauce 5/6

• This is again for Chinese taste buds – I really like this dish. It’s acquired though. I just love it as a side dish with congee.
• The myth or truth...is that spicy is good because it kills germs...also it makes you sweat so you sweat out the bad stuff. Chinese and I think Indian also believe that ginger kills germs...so again "sick people food". Spicy also makes you cough, so don't have it if you're coughing...and I don't think spicy is good for stomach flus either...it doesn't make sense to me...?
  
• It’s loaded with long strands of ginger (in photo) and round slices of green chili peppers. It has a preserved salty taste and it’s creamy, spicy (not too spicy) and very aromatic with lots of flavours.

• The green chili peppers aren’t really spicy though. They’re quite mild and I could eat them whole.
  
• It’s a super soupy/saucy dish, but it’s not too oily and I really enjoyed it. There's no actual pieces of bean curd in it, it's just preserved/fermented bean curd sauce - so the flavour is infused in the sauce.
  
• The taste is very pungent. I had the dish at No. 9 and it’s done a bit differently. I liked the one at Au Wing Kee better.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Restaurant: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Cuisine: Japanese/Ramen/Noodle Shop
Last visited: March 6, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (West End/Robson/Downtown)
1690 Robson Street
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 6
Service: 4.5

Ambiance: 4.5

Overall: 6

Additional comments:

• Multiple locations (In US, Canada, Japan etc.)
• Closest thing to authentic Japanese ramen
• Best ramen in Vancouver – according to Japanese ppl too!
• Deceivingly big portions
• Specializes in ramen noodles
• Famous for signature Shio broth
• Famous for Toroniku Ramen bowls – limited quantity
• Famous for perfectly cooked noodles
• Authentically ramen is eaten with rice bowl
• Appetizers “coming soon”
• Long lines/busy
• Quick eat
• Cash only
• Clean & contemporary atmosphere
• Limited menu, but lots of options for customization
• A couple dollars more expensive than most
• Extra for green tea
• Minimum charge $7.95/person

**Recommendation: Toroniku aka “cha-shu”, Toroniku Shio Ramen, Toroniku Miso Ramen, hard boiled egg…ANY Toroniku ramen bowl, but especially Shio w/all the fixings…the Toroniku bowls have more pork and toppings served on the side.

This place is hands down the best ramen I have had in Vancouver thus far. I was recommended by a friend who got the inside from his Japanese friend. Through word of mouth I also heard that this place is the closest thing to authentic ramen noodles you would get in Japan. My expectations were set high and I was extremely excited.

I do like Kintaro, Benkei Ramen and G-Men Ramen and I’ve never had ramen noodles in Japan so I don’t know what authentic is…however I do trust Japanese people when they say “Hokkaido Ramen Santouka” is the closest thing to it in Vancouver. Some even said Kintaro is “crap”…I don’t think it’s crap, but after Hokkaido Ramen Santouka …it’s definitely not as good and not authentic if this is the real deal. Now it doesn’t necessarily mean Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is the BEST in Japan, but it is still good there. It’s actually a chain restaurant that exists in Japan as well so I’m very happy that it has made its way to Vancouver.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka just opened so the line-up was a 30 min. wait and it’s didn’t stop for 3 hours. To be honest I’d wait in line again…it was worth it. It’s a bit more expensive then most ramen places and the portions looks small, but they’re deceivingly filling. Also go early because they almost ran out of egg when I was there and their house special “Toroniku” ramen bowls are a limited quantity. A lot of their appetizers like gyoza, salad and 2 sushi rolls are “coming soon” – I will definitely go back…soon too.

On the table:

**Toroniku Shio Ramen 6/6

• Smmered pork jowl (pork cheeks) and salt seasoned ramen $12.95
• + Egg $1.25 + Tokibi (corn) $2.00 + Yaki nori $1.45
• This is the signature, “claim to fame”, authentic and most popular ramen bowl offered.
• It’s limited quantity and first come first serve. Get it with all the fixings.
• The broth is a “pearl-coloured Tonkotsu soup” that is made with pork bones and other ingredients such as vegetables, dried fish and kelp.

• The broth is rich and creamy and so flavourful. It’s got a salty flavour that is so much more than just salt…it’s so complex and delicious. The saltiness is developed with layers of ingredients, it’s slow cooked and the pork flavour is distinct. This is one of the first times I have enjoyed Shio broth more than Miso broth.
• Unlike Kintaro and Benkei there’s not as many “floaties” aka pork fat bits floating on the top.
• Apparently some people think the broth is not hot enough, I thought it was hot enough…but they have a standard temperature they serve it at for optimal flavour.
  

• The noodles are delicious! They're al dente - a little harder (how they should be) and they have a great chewy texture. Apparently Santouka is famous for cooking their noodles perfectly too.
  

• It's a deceivingly large bowl...don't be fooled...it looks small, but the bowls are deep!

**Toroniku Miso Ramen 5.5/6

• Simmered pork jowl and miso (fermented soy bean paste) flavoured ramen $12.95
• + Egg $1.25 + Tokibi (corn) $2.00 + Yaki nori $1.45
• This is almost part of their “limited quantity” list.

• This was delicious as well! It was a bit more flavourful and richer than the Shio Ramen…but I almost thought it was a bit indulgent. The Shio is such a masterpiece already that the miso almost took away from it…it was still really good though. Still complex and layered flavours.
  
• It was creamier than the Shio and it tastes like there’s sesame sauce in it. It even almost tasted like peanut butter…it’s less salty then the Shio but also richer, heavier and nuttier in flavour.

The side plate of toppings that come with every Toroniku ramen bowl: Toroniku (cha-shu), black wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions and that fake "lobster/crab" thing made of mixed fish.

**Toroniku (BBQ Pork) or “cha-shu” 6/6

• Simmered pork jowl meat ($5.45 if ordered separately)
• This is THE BEST pork I’ve had served with a ramen bowl yet.
• It’s seriously soooo soft it comes off as the texture of cheese. It was so tender, flavourful and juicy. There’s only one type, not like Kintaro where they have lean or fatty.
• I want to give this an 11/6…I don’t even know why 11…it’s just so damn good.
• Even a toothless person could eat this…my grandma could eat this...that’s how tender it is.

• It’s not really fatty, but there is a layer of fat around the edges. It’s not thick or chewy so it’s not obvious and it doesn’t even taste fatty. It’s the kind of fat that you don’t really see or notice…I really don’t like fatty meats and this one didn’t bother me. It's just a bit oily...but so juicy and flavourful. There's an additional salty flavour to it.
  

• The side plate also comes with black ear wood mushrooms, green onions and bamboo shoots. Even the mushrooms and bamboo shoots are delicious. They’re both very fresh and the perfect texture of crunchiness and tenderness. Most places they’re too crunchy....which I like and got used too…but now I’ve had this, I prefer this.

**Egg 6/6

• $1.25
• I must give a special shout out for the egg. It’s perfect. As perfect if not better than G-Men Ramen.
• They almost ran out and I almost cried…but she came back and said they were able to make more…I was ecstatic.

• The middle was a dark orange and it was ultra creamy. Freaking love these soft boiled eggs…they do a great job with them here.

Ikura Gohan 2.5/6

• A bowl of rice topped with ikura (salmon roe) $5.45 Small size only.
• I prefer G-Men Ramen mini dons over this.
• Ramen noodles are authentically eaten with a side of rice – they have combination trays (ramen + rice bowl) but only the regular ramen bowls apply, not the Toroniku ramen bowls. I had to order them separately.

• Ikura Gohan rice bowl is the most authentic one. Japanese people order it and it was recommended by the server even though it’s not most popular.
• I thought it was ok.
• The rice is sticky steamed rice, it’s not flavourful like sushi rice is though – not supposed to be either.
• It has slices omelette on top that was very dry and came off as dried tofu skin.
• Overall it was too plain and simple for me. The only flavour came from the salmon roe. I actually ended up eating it with some of my miso soup broth…that was good!

______Shake Gohan 2/6

• A bowl of hot rice topped with pieces of grilled salmon $3.95 Small size only.
• I didn’t get the first part of the name for this dish...my camera flash got in the way :(
• The salmon is very salty and dry…it comes off as salmon jerky. It almost tastes preserved…not quite pickled, but very salted. It was a decent amount but I wouldn’t order it again.
• I liked the toasted sesame seeds on it though…added a little flavour.
• Overall the dish was too plain for me again and I still prefer and highly recommend the mini don’s at G-Men Ramen.
• Again – The rice is sticky steamed rice, it’s not flavourful like sushi rice is though – not supposed to be either.