Kitsaya Sushi - Kitsilano

Kitsaya Sushi
3105 West Broadway Vancouver, B.C.

Their Website

I used to come here when it was called Kitsilano Sushi..I don't know when they changed names

but it had been a good 6 or 7 years since I had last come here. Much to the dismay of the servers, my dad and I (being frugal) would order their 18 piece sushi special and split it between the two of us.

I started coming back here in the Summer of 2012 and it was pretty much the same as I remember, they still had their $5.95 special, and now being a cheap student I would still get it.

My heart broke a little bit on this particular visit. Sometime in the last two months they changed

the $5.95 price to $6.95. I'm not sure which emotion I should be feeling..anger?..sadness? .. betrayal?

All kidding aside, I came for an early lunch and went with the special anyways.

So what does $6.95 now get you?

6 piece california roll

6 piece yam tempura roll

6 piece tuna roll

miso soup

I find the rolls to be usually pretty good quality here. I find they have made them a bit bigger

which may seem like a good thing but personally prefer a bit smaller.

For $7 I was satiated nicely and have no complaints.

I'm a little choked about the price increase, but they have had that going on for years and years and

eventually people raise their prices. 

In case anyone cares about miso soup (I know I do) here it is.

A funny little anecdote, a young girl, no older than 3 was having lunch

with her mom at the same time. When the waitress came to take their order,

she ever so quite elequently asked for miso soup, and yummy soba.I think

it was supposed to be yaki-soba but I can't deny that it is not yummy. I thought it was

cute/funny...don't judge me!

131 Water Kitchen and Bar - Gastown (Poutine Challenge)

131 Water Street, Vancouver
http://www.131water.com 

131 Water Kitchen and Bar - Gastown

In the last few years, I feel like I've walked by this place dozens of times without giving it a second glance. The cheap student in me just assumed that I could not afford to eat or have a drink here (it always looks pretty darn nice when I walk by at night).

Perfect weather for a day in Gastown

After reading over the Vancouver Foodster Poutine Challenge List, I was intrigued by a Crispy Chicken and Waffle poutine. At a modest price of $10 I thought hey why not check it out this afternoon...I can do ten bucks,

This Inside

It was 1:30 pm when we arrived and the restaurant, along with the rest of downtown Vancouver was pretty darn quiet (I guess Vancouver was not the destination for people's family days holiday). We were seated right away and had a nice view of the street.

Crispy Chicken and Waffle Poutine - Hand cut fries, belgian waffle, cheese curds, breaded fried chicken smothered in white pepper gravy & finished with fresh cilantro $10.

I really enjoyed this Poutine. The chicken was crisp and moist, the white pepper gravy was excellent, fries had a nice crisp outside, and everything came together well. I don't know if the waffle was necessary but it worked nevertheless. For the price I thought it was a good deal, as we shared it between three of us, and were all satisfied.

We were just in for a light snack so we thought we would try one more item off the menu.

Fried pickles are a favorite of my girlfriend and I's so we like to try them at different places. Unfortunately most restaurants/bars don't make them in the round form which we prefer. These were good though, they were about $6 which I guess could seem a little high but we enjoyed them so no complaints.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - Surrey/Delta

Krispy Kreme

 7153 120 Street, Delta, BC V4E 2A9(604) 507-8803
http://www.krispykreme.com/home 

My hometown of Delta hosts the only Krispy Kreme (that I am aware of)

in British Columbia. I remember being 13 when it first opened and large crowds

gathered to get their hands on these sweet treats. I can't remember how many doughnuts I ate that opening night but being so young I did not hold back.

Tim Horton's is the go to place for most of us in B.C. but I think it is nice to change things up a bit and  see what else is out there. My girlfriend likes to bring up that I have a Krispy Kreme near my house

so when we in Delta we find ourselves going in every now and then for some gluttonous fun.

I think it is a pretty nice looking store, kind of a diner feel on the interior. You also get to see the doughnuts being made on a large conveyor belt which can be interesting (If the light is on outside it means they are making them).

As for the actual doughnuts, I find them to be pretty sweet. Eating more than two in a sitting can be quite the challenge (I may just be a wimp) but they are quite good. They have a pretty good variey and their regular glazed doughnuts are always a nice treat.They are a bit pricier than Timmy's which may explain why the store is usually not that busy, that and the fact that Scottsdale Mall does not have many stores to draw people to the area.

If you are in the neighborhood and looking for something sweet, it is always fun to get a variety of doughnuts that you have not tried before. You can't miss the store driving down Scott Road.

Recipe - Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan and Sage

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan & Sage.

It is not often that I attempt to cook dinner. I am not a picky eater but there is something about cooking for other people that stresses me out, I get too worked up about whether or not they will enjoy the meal. Heck, if there is free food offered I could care less about how it tastes.

As a young man I feel that it is important to have a couple good recipes under your belt to impress women folk. Simple and Easy are two words to describe this recipe, plus you get bonus points if you are trying to impress a vegetarian.

The Ingredients: 

What you'll need:

1-15oz can of pumpkin puree
2 tbsp olive oil (I never measure)
2 shallots diced
a couple cloves of garlic minced
6oz pasta (I used gnocchi)
fresh sage
parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pasta cooking water
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is al dente, reserve some of the cooking water before draining.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, sage and a pinch of salt and stir well. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the shallots are tender and fragrant. Add the pumpkin, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Stir in the reserved pasta water and stir until fully incorporated. Add the pasta and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with additional sage and Parmesan cheese for serving.

Note: As written, this recipe is not vegan. To make it vegan, omit the Parmesan cheese.

There you have it, super simple, easy and it tasted great.

Thai by Thai - North Delta/Surrey

It was a cold, rainy, November night. Driving along Scott road, something caught my eye, a sign I had never noticed before, Thai by Thai. I was not aware I could get Thai food anywhere close to home so this made me quite happy. I tried it out a week later, after checking out their website and seeing a great looking lunch special deal.

A quick shot of the interior for those interested (caution, slippery when wet).

The waitress was very nice and enjoyed my humour...unlike my girlfriend, so she gets points for that.

Onto the important stuff, the food. So during lunch they have a nice $7.50 special,

which includes; soup, a spring roll, salad, rice, and your choice from a variety of dishes.

The soup changes depending on the day, this one had tofu, lemon-grass, cilantro, and green onions. We both enjoyed it a lot, it was very good.

*A full list can be seen here

http://thaibythaibc.ca/thai-lunch-specials 

From the list of dishes to choose from I went with the, Pad Phik Khing - Stir-fried beef with spicy sauce,bell pepper, green beans, and lime leaves.

It took me a couple times to get the pronunciation right and I wisely chose a mild spiciness level.

I thought the food was great. I can't comment on how authentic it was because I have no idea what authentic Thai food tastes like, but it gets two of my Caucasian thumbs up.

My girlfriend went with the Spicy Pad Thai- Spicy stir-fried rice noodle with chicken, onion, bean sprout and ground peanut. 

She enjoyed it, and much to my disappointment she finished it all, leaving none for me..

Closing Thoughts:

-Don't let the exterior scare you away, it's great!

- Fantastic Lunch Specials

- Good value for your $$