Original Joe's Restaurant & Bar

Restaurant: Original Joe’s Restaurant & Bar

Cuisine: American/Canadian/Pub food
Last visited: February 26, 2010
Area: Multiple locations - Richmond, BC (Ironwood)
1215 Davie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 4.5
Service: 4.5

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• Multiple locations (Canadian franchise)
• Offers traditional/classic bar food
• Made from scratch dishes
• Big portions
• Great for beer
• Lots of seating
• Daily drink/food specials
• Busy during game nights
• Very casual atmosphere
• Free parking
• Big screen tv’s
• Great for snacks/beer
• Wine available
• Small selection of desserts
• Mon-Sun 11am - midnight

**Recommendation: Joe’s Red Tractor Nachos, Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich, Sweet Potato Fries

Original Joe’s is a really casual restaurant/bar/pub serving up traditional pub food made from scratch! I actually wouldn’t have guessed from the looks of it, but it is! They have multiple locations in Canada and in Vancouver and the lower mainland. This one I visited is the newest location – it’s the Richmond location that opened in January 2010.

I came to watch the Olympics Canada VS Slovak hockey game and we won…so my good spirits and enthusiastic atmosphere may influence my review to be higher than normal. Having said that I also don’t feel like I’ve tried enough to give a proper review, but I would definitely go back to try more things because I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed everything for the most part. The food was much better than expected and very affordable with big portions. It’s not pretentious and similar to places like Kelsey’s – definitely more bar/pub then contemporary restaurant like Earls which is also bar-ish.

They have daily specials at a bargain price – so there’s always something going on.

On the table:

Crantini

• Medium $9.50 Large $11.50
  
• It was on special for $4.75.
  
• It had 1 oz of Vodka but I could barely taste any…it was pretty much cranberry juice.

**Joe’s Red Tractor Nachos 6/6

• Crisp tortilla chips piled high; layered with melted cheddar and mozzarella, roma tomatoes, red and green onions, black olives and jalapenos. Served with fresh tomato salsa and sour cream. Full 15.99 – Half 12.99
• Add spicy beef, chicken or pulled pork 3.99 Guacamole 2.99
• I ordered a half order with chicken and they are seriously ENORMOUS. The really wonder if a full size is twice as big for $3 more…seriously the half order could feed 4 and looks like a full order.

• These were delicious! Lots of cheese, really fresh ingredients and big pieces of vegetables.
• You can’t really screw up nachos, unless you cheap out and don’t give enough toppings or cheese.
• I added chicken and it was nice big slices of grilled chicken breast.
• The salsa had corn in it, which was awesome.

**Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich 4.5/6

• Slow roasted pork shoulder, pulled, then “mopped” in your choice of sweet onion mustard, cider pepper, or southern style BBQ sauce. Topped with honey slaw and served on a fresh white bun. Served with your choice of 2 sides.10.99 (They serve all the sauces on the side)
  

• This was piled high and loaded with pulled pork and lots of honey cole slaw.
• The pork wasn’t too juicy, but still good, and with the BBQ sauce it was fine.
• I asked for all 3 sauces, however the server forgot 2 of them. I think the sauce I ended up getting was southern style BBQ sauce. It was a very tangy BBQ sauce with a big kick! It was almost like there was Frank’s hot sauce in it and tons of Worcestershire.

• I really liked the cole slaw. It was very lightly dressed, not a gloppy mess so the veggies weren’t soggy. It was a tangy dressing and mildly sweet with a touch of honey. Nice and crunchy.
• The bun was just a regular burger bun. Nice and soft though.
• 

Mango Pasta Salad – Side 1.5/6

• I didn’t like this side. It was a very simple pasta salad with dill like mayo dressing. The dressing was light but I thought it would be a sweet mango dressing.
• There was pretty much zero mango taste. The mango was little bits of fresh mango tossed in the salad. I found 2 pieces the size of bacon bits in the entire bowl.
• It didn’t necessarily taste bad but because they called it mango pasta salad, I was left very disappointed.
• It tasted like a very lightly dressed regular pasta salad with some black pepper, red onions, and red bell pepper. There wasn’t much bell pepper either.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Gravy – Side 2/6

• This was the most traditional mashed potatoes I’ve had.
• The mashed potatoes are very smooth and quite creamy, and although they claim everything is made in house…the potatoes tasted like packaged mashed potatoes. No garlic or additional flavorings…it was just any old mashed potato.
• I’m pretty sure the gravy is packaged, it really tastes like it.
• They topped the mashed potatoes with fried onions or shallots – which were extremely soggy and not good.

Steak & Prawns 4/6

• 6 ounce grilled steak and a skewer of prawns (your choice of garlic or Cajun) served with your choice of 2 sides. Friday special for $15.99
  
• I don’t expect a supreme quality of beef and you have to take into consideration it is pub food – so lower your expectations a bit.
• It was decent, it had a coating of course rub with sea salt on it and it was grilled really well. The meat was tender – not steakhouse quality obviously, but still very good.

• The prawns were not made in house – I think they’re the pre seasoned frozen ones from Sysco Food distributor. I can’t confirm, but from appearance and the fact that you can chose the flavours I’m pretty sure they are the pre-prepared kind. They are still good, but just not made in house.
• They’re a bit small and obviously fresh ones would be better, but for $15.99 – they do the job.

**Sweet Potato Fries – Side 5/6

• Cut thin, fried crisp and seasoned with a house made spice blend. Served with our signature dill dip or chipotle sauce.
• Extra 1.99 as a side, or 6.99 as appetizer
• I thought they did a great job with these!
• They’re very lightly seasoned and not that salty at all, but still flavourful. They are cut thin so they were actually very crispy.
• I think they served it with the dill dip because the sauce wasn’t spicy at all…however it was orange so I’m not sure. It basically tasted like a yogurt based dip with dill flavour – so it was almost like a mixture of dill dip and chipotle yogurt dip…but not spicy.

Caesar Salad – Side 2/6

• This was just a standard quickly thrown together Caesar salad. Not much else to say here. A few bacon bits and croutons on top.

Vancouver 2010 Olympics - Holland House: Dutch food

Restaurant: Holland House – Dutch food

Cuisine: European/Dutch

Last visited: February 27, 2010
Area: Richmond, BC (Minoru Park)

7191 Granville Avenue
Range: $10 or less

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

I really wish I could have put this post up earlier, but I didn’t make my visit to the Holland House until the last Saturday of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics! GO CANADA GO!

I heard lots about the Holland House and the exclusiveness of it. Every time The Netherlands won a gold medal they would only let in people with Dutch passports. Throughout the day anyone with a Dutch passport could get in automatically with no line-up, but for everyone else it was 30min on a good day and sometimes up to a 3 hour wait! The exclusiveness made it extra alluring and I also heard they were serving traditional Dutch food so I was determined to check it out. Authentic Dutch foods…actually Dutch food in general…and even Dutch people are hard to find!

So what’s up with my Dutch obsession? Well I was lucky to live in The Netherlands for a while so it has a place close to my heart…and stomach for that matter. So what was my game plan to get in? Well I grabbed my Utrecht Universiteit hoodie and my expired Dutch student ID that clearly states: 2007-2008. And with that I was able to get in! WOOT WOOT! The loser is the one who doesn’t try right?! Seriously…lucky me!

Needless to say I am familiar with traditional Dutch food – well as familiar as I could get. Living there I would ask people all the time what traditional Dutch food was? And more often then not my Dutch friends were lost for words. However after a while I was able to get an idea of Dutch food and the menu offered at Holland House was in pretty close to the real deal! It definitely brought back memories!

Added note: Almost all Dutch food tastes better than it sounds and looks. The stuff at the Holland House was no exception…it was cafeteria style Dutch food, but it was good! It's partly rated so high just becuase I miss it. :(

On the table:

Stamppot Boerenkool met Worse en Spek

• Potato-kale hotchpotch with sausage $7.50
• The one served at the Holland House is pretty much the “fast food version”…which is interesting because the original is already quite “fast food-like” as is.
• Now I didn’t order this one because I tried a home made version in the The Netherlands already. Also the guy working there said his favourite was the Hutspot met Worst en Spek (the one I actually ordered).
• Below is the Stamppot Boerenkool I made with my Dutch friend in The Netherlands. It’s traditionally served with pickled pearl onions and pickles.

• Stamppot Boerekool is the most traditional and popular ‘stamppot’ or hotchpotch. It’s not necessarily the favourite, but there’s many ways to make it and many combinations, however this potato-kale one is most common.
• Stamppot is a traditional dish that people make at home, but it’s not really served at restaurants. It’s pretty much traditional Dutch comfort food that mom’s make.

Hutspot met Worst en Spek 4.5/6

• Potato carrot hotchpotch with sausage $7.50
• Okay so this isn’t how it’s supposed to be served, but under the circumstances of a standing room only/drinking tent atmosphere it was the most practical method serving it in a cone.
• It’s basically mashed potatoes with milk and butter, mixed with coarsely mashed up carrots and onions and topped with a sausage and bacon bits.
  

• The sausage was a crappy sausage – it was those cheap hot dog wieners…usually it’s a thicker sausage, like those ‘U’ shaped ones (like the image in my home made verison)
• Other than that the mashed potato carrot part was delicious even though it was sitting under heat lamps for the whole day. It was really creamy and really soft and fluffy. I loved it!
• The bacon was new. I’ve never seen it served with bacon, but I liked it. It was almost like a baked potato and I think that’s what they’re going for. They were pretty fresh bacon bits too – not those hard crunchy dried ones.

Broodje Kipkerriesalade 4/6

• Sandwich chicken curry salad $5.00
• I was pleasantly surprised to see this on the menu. It flew under my radar and I almost forgot how popular of a sandwich it is there.
• There’s a heavy Indonesian influence in The Netherlands so it’s very common to see “satay” or “curry” on their menus.
• This sandwich is very close to what they would serve at quick eateries or small cafes in The Netherlands.
• 
• It’s pretty much diced chicken mixed with a curried mayo. They also include some diced apple and maybe some diced onions in it.
• The bread was crappy and tough and it was overpriced, but whatever…that was expected.
• The chicken curry salad was really good though. It’s creamy and sweet from the apples. Usually they would serve it with some lettuce and maybe some tomatoes. At really good places I could get them with bean sprouts! I love it with bean sprouts.
• The curry is not spicy at all, but just really creamy and rich.

Le Do Vietnamese Restaurant

Restaurant: Le Do Vietnamese Restaurant

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Last visited: February 22, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC

2292 East Hastings (Commercial Drive/Grandview)
Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 5

Service: 3.5

Ambiance: 1.5

Overall: 4.5

Additional comments:

• Popular for pho – famous for soup base
• Popular for spring rolls, chicken and beef pho
• Fresh, made upon order
• Family owned/operated
• Vietnamese owners
• Hole in the wall
• Seats about 30
• Authentic
• Fast/Cheap/Good
• Not much MSG
• Some pictures on menu
• Cash only
• Closed Wednesday
• Open daily 10am – 9pm (except Wed.)

**Recommendation: Spring Rolls, Chicken Pho, Beef Pho, Bún Bò Hue, Chicken Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)

This all started with Twitter. People were asking me about the best places for pho in Vancouver and to be honest I was a little stuck. I’ve had home made pho before from an excellent Vietnamese mom who worked in a kitchen for years…ever since then I can’t go back to anything else. Home made pho is NOTHING like what they serve you at restaurants.

Anyways people recommended Le Do Vietnamese Restaurant so I decided to give it a try. My expectations were set high because I’ve heard good things about it, and I did my research ahead of time and so far everything was positive. Overall the food is good, but I didn’t think it was amazing. One clear fact I noticed was that they didn’t use that much MSG! Surprising! It was still flavourful too and the noodles are noticeable fresh and the soup is super hot in terms of temperature.

On the table:

**Deep Fried Spring Roll 5/6

• As a side order $1.75 each or 3 for $5.25 – which is the same
• These are actually really good. The only thing is that they’re a bit small. It’s about 3 inches so they’re a bit pricey, yet I would still order them again because they were good.
  

• They’re hot, fresh, crispy and well stuffed with vermicelli noodles, carrots, jacama root, mushroom, ground pork and cabbage. They don’t use the vermicelli as filler either, there’s actually not much noodle in them.
• It was salty and slightly tangy I really liked them.
  

**Variety of Beef Noodle in Soup (Pho Duc Biet #1) 5/6

• Rare beef flank, tripe, tendon, beef balls and noodles in soup M - $5.95 L - $6.50

• It came with 3 slices of beef flank that were really tender, but they cook super fast because the soup is served super hot.
  

• There’s also 2 pieces of tripe, 2 pieces of tendon and one beef ball cut in half – and this is for the medium size. They serve with with black pepper on top and I really liked that.
  

• They give you lots of green onion, cilantro and onions which I really like.
• The broth was good, but still a bit watered down compared to the real deal. It was savoury and not too sweet and it actually pretty clear tasted. It’s definitely made in house but the beef flavour wasn’t as strong as I would have liked.
• I don’t think they use much MSG, maybe a bit because they don’t advertise “no MSG”, but it’s definitely not overwhelming of the most obvious ingredient.
  

• The best part for me was the hot soup and the noodles. The noodles are noticeably fresh and really soft and chewy.
  

**Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bún Bò Hue #26) 5.5/6

• Special spicy beef rice noodle soup M - $6.75 L - $7.25

• It came with 3 thin slices of Vietnamese ham and a couple pieces of beef shank with cartilage. It's supposed to come with pig's feet (pork hock), but I don't recall any being in there.
• This is one of their specialty dishes and it’s not available at every Vietnamese restaurant although it is a common Vietnamese dish.
  

• It’s not as spicy as it looks. It actually wasn’t that spicy at all. It was quite mild with a strong lemongrass flavour which made it a bit sweeter. The spiciness was more aromatic than it was spicy. I actually liked this broth better than the standard beef broth although the broth is the same base. This one also has some shrimp paste in it so it's very aromatic and tasty. This broth was just more flavourful overall especially with the chili oil.
  

• The noodles for Bún Bò Hue are not the standard vermicelli noodles. The noodles are those thin round rice noodles. They're good, but it reminds me of eating Chinese soup noodles.
  

**Chicken Bahn Mi 4.5/6

• Chicken (Vietnamese) sandwich $3.00
• This is the sandwich the waitress/owner suggested. That was after she said “everything is good”…so I took it that this was actually a really good item considering when I asked about the sandwiches there was little hesitation to suggest the chicken.
• This was really good, except I wish they gave more chicken. There wasn’t much in there but they gave lots of vegetables like cucumber, carrots, radish, and cilantro.
  

• The chicken bahn mi is different here because the chicken is almost like a chicken stew. They cook and serve the chicken in this tomato stew that’s sweet and sour like – it’s savoury, slightly tangy and sweet. It was very light and it had a ketchup flavour but it was really good and made the sandwich so juicy and flavourful.
  

• The sandwich is really buttery though, but that’s part of what makes is so good. It’s actually lard and not butter so it makes it extra good, but extra bad for you too.
• The chicken is pieces of skinless dark meat instead of the usual shredded chicken they use in bahn mi.
• I could have used a stronger marinade for the vegetables though. It was a bit pickled tasting but I could have used more flavour like fish sauce and sugar.
• I doubt the bread is made in house, but it was better than in looks. It was served warm and it was really crusty and really soft in the middle. With the chicken stew I was surprised the bread didn’t get soggy too.
  

Vietnamese Egg Soda (Soda sữa hột gà) 3/6

• Club Soda, egg, and condensed milk $3.50
• It’s almost like an ice cream float, but richer in flavour, but not in texture and not as sweet.
• I know it sounds a bit different, but it’s actually pretty good.
  

• It tastes like a carbonated custard drink. The flavour is definitely custardy.
• It’s not really creamy, and it’s not too sweet although you expect it to be.
• The whipped egg just makes it frothier and adds a creamier texture to it although it’s not really creamy. An ice cream float or milkshake is much creamier.

Trees Organic Coffee & Roasting House

Restaurant: Trees Organic Coffee & Roasting House

Cuisine: Café/Coffee/Desserts/Cakes
Last visited: January 19, 2010
Area: Multiple - Vancouver, BC (Gastown/Downtown)
321 Water Street
Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 3
Service: 2.5

Ambiance: 3.5

Overall: 3

Additional comments:

• Local chain since 1996
• Clean/European style cafe
• Good for snacks/coffee breaks
• Relaxed, but upscale café feel
• Fair-trade 100% certified organic coffee
• Coffee roasted in small batches on site
• Award winning cheesecakes
• Vancouver’s Best Cheesecake by The Province newspaper
• By the slice or whole cheesecakes available
• Organic coffee, not organic food
• Breakfast/Lunch
• Sandwiches/Baked goods
• Display case/pre-made items
• Vegan options
• Eat in/Take-out
• Difficult to park

**Recommendation: The Sin Cheesecake, Coffee, Latte

I went to the grand opening of the 4^th location of Trees Organic Coffee & Roasting House in Gastown. I was really excited because 1) I was meeting a friend I hadn’t seen in years and 2) they advertised an “all day tasting party with free coffee and samples of cheesecake, muffins, scones and sandwiches!” It was supposed to be a big party and celebration so they got everyone all excited and anticipated – but for nothing. In the end we did sample one cheesecake (upon ordering and paying), but we also asked for it. I just don’t believe in false advertising and hyping your customers up for expectations you can’t deliver. I mean people went to support their business so I don’t think it’s unfair to ask that they should stay true to their words.

I support their 100% Organic & Fair Trade Coffee policy – and I actually think they should include this “organic” policy into everything they make. I mean it’s in the store name, and they stress it with their coffee, so why not in the food? All their baked goods and sandwiches are actually brought in from their flagship store on Granville Island, so if I were to choose a location I would go for that one.

Trees Organic Coffee & Roasting House in Gastown is good for a coffee break or a snack, but I wouldn’t go for lunch. It’s a very nice, clean, comfortable set-up but the selection is limited to a display case of premade sandwiches and cheesecakes…the cheesecakes are a local favourite and pretty good though. I’d only come back for coffee or cheesecake.

I’m going to review this like any other review because this “grand opening” was nothing different than a regular day…except with maybe some balloons.

On the table:

**Latte 5/6

• Size: Tall - about $3.50
• I really liked this and it’s quite creamy with a nice amount of froth. I still like Elysian or 49^th Parallel better I think. I need to do a comparison one of these days.
• It’s smooth and almost naturally sweet with a malted flavour.
• Very light roast.
• They need to work on the design though.

**Coffee 5/6

• 100% Organic & Fair Trade Coffee Size: Tall – about $2.50
• Very light roast, I like mine a bit stronger.
• Very smooth.

**The Sin Cheesecake 5.5/6

• They don’t have the description on the menu but it’s a chocolate marble cheesecake with cherries and a chocolate crust $5.99
• It was good and better than the blueberry cheesecake we ordered. This is their most popular cheesecake.
• This is the only sample we actually got, and that’s because we asked.It's hard to judge based on a sample but from a non-cheesecake lover (I really don’t like those heavy thick New York style cheesecakes) this was a good cheesecake.
• It’s very creamy, not dense at all and almost mousse like. It’s still very rich but not too cheesy in taste either. It was lighter than most cheesecakes but heavier than a tiramisu (which is the only cheesecake I like). A few bites would be enough for me, not becuase it's too sweet, but just extremely creamy.
  
• It had a nice balance of sweet chocolate, creamy light cheese, and tartness from these plump sour cherries. Great balance, flavour, and texture.
• I didn’t mind that the crust was a bit thin because since it’s a chocolate/Oreo crust it’s more flavourful than a graham cracker crust.
• Cherries weren’t red, but an orange yellow caramel in colour. I don’t remember what they were called, but they were tiny, round, plump and juicy. I’m pretty sure they’re preserved because they had that sticky syrup coating around them, but it wasn’t fake tasting like Maraschino cherries. They were almost like the sour cherries from the Amarena Cherry Crème Brulee I had at Cin Cin.

Blueberry Cheesecake 3.5/6

• Fresh blueberries mixed in the cheesecake burst in your mouth with juicy, sweet flavour $5.99 (Description from website)
• The cheesecake part was really good. Not too sweet and just as creamy and mousse-like as The Sin Cheesecake. It’s so soft and creamy you can’t even cut through it.
• This is lighter than The Sin Cheesecake but I still wouldn’t want a whole piece to myself – although light, the creaminess is too much.
• The crust was a graham cracker crust and I wish it was thicker. It was also very soggy and wet, perhaps because it was sitting in the display case for too long and then plated on top of unnecessary chocolate syrup.
• The chocolate syrup just tasted like bottled chocolate syrup and did nothing for me. That part was too sweet.
• The cheesecake is a baked cheesecake, which I liked. However it wasn’t baked evenly. The edges were stiffer and dense and almost dried out from being in the display case. However the centre was fluffy and creamy and melted in your mouth.
• Besides the crust, the other problem was the blueberries. The description says “fresh blueberries” but they didn’t taste fresh at all. They were extremely wrinkly and dry and tasted like dried blueberries or frozen blueberries. I highly doubt they were fresh. There were only blueberries on top too and they weren’t plump juicy or sweet.

Prosciutto & Brie Baguette Sandwich 2.5/6

• With lettuce & tomato $7.99
• For $7.99 I would much rather go to So.Cial at Le Magasin or Brioche around the corner. Those places have value and specialize in quality meats and sandwiches.
• This sandwich tasted good, but there were hardly any ingredients in it. One leaf of romaine, a very thin slice of tomato, one slice of prosciutto and one slice of brie. I couldn’t even taste the brie in every bite.
• We asked for the sandwich to be warmed up but that didn’t really help. The brie was so thin it turned into a brie spread. It was good and creamy, but almost turned saucy.
• The lack of ingredients usually means a lack in flavour, so to make up for the natural flavours they replaced it with heavy seasonings. It was mostly kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, but they used a lot.
• The best part is the bread; and thank goodness because it was quite thick and there was a lot. It’s baked in house in their Granville location and I really liked it! It was very crunchy and although it is thick, it also wasn’t too chewy, it worked. Great bread!

Cranberry Pecan Oat Muffin 1.5/6

• $2.50
• I had major issues with this muffin. It really bothers me when cranberry and pecan is used in the title of the muffin, but used only as décor. Very deceiving.
  
• There were no pecans or cranberries in the actual muffin. It would have given the muffin so much more flavour and was really disappointing.
• The muffin bottom was just plain vanilla muffin batter. Actually at first bite it almost has a candied orange taste and then later on you get a tiny bit of vanilla extract taste. I think there might be lemon zest in it or maybe some kind of orange liquor like Grand Marnier in it. It is very subtle and it would have gone great with the cranberries…if there had been actual cranberries IN it, no just on top of it.
• I actually didn’t find much oat in it either. A few odd flakes, and maybe used more on the top.
• That’s about the only thing this muffin had going – was the top. It had a huge muffin top (haha muffin top!)...which is great! That’s the best part because it was really crispy and flavourful. It’s the only part that had cranberries and pecans too.
• The muffin was moist, but baked a bit unevenly which is odd. Parts of it still tasted like batter.