Venice Garden Seafood Restaurant

Fish Head Hot Pot


After a visit to the PNE, we cruised the neighbourhood for dinner.  Venice Garden Seafood is located in a plaza shared with T and T Supermarket and it there was plenty of parking in the lot.

It’s been a while since we’ve eaten in the area and this restaurant seems to be a reincarnation of a previous restaurant that we visited once.  It seems to have gone a tad upscale since we last ate here.  There were white tablecloths during dinner.

WEST RESTAURANT: AN ANNIVERSARY TRADITION

Freshly shucked scallops sourced locally and seared to perfection.  Isn't it so pretty?  At West, the August Tasting Menu has so many highlights.  However, I can't really call dishes highlights because that implies there were lowlights too!

SWEET E’S GF CHOCOLATE SILK CAKE

Flourless Chocolate Silk Cake.

My sole  intent today was to get cake…preferably chocolate.  After the less than satisfactory burger I had at McDonald’s I decided that only chocolate cake could remedy the intestinal imbalance in my gut.  Fortunately, Sweet E’s was across the street.  Located next to the Red Onion, Sweet E’s specializes in really tall cakes and very tiny pretty treats.  The mini tarts are my favourite. 

The cakes reside in the glass showcase.  They are all taller than they are wide.  When you buy a cake, it is housed in a cakebox that is completely square and opens on the side.  It makes sense because then you pull out the cake more easily.   

MCDONALD’S ANGUS BURGER.

It’s my 18th Anniversary and for lunch the kids got their choice of restaurant because we’re ditching them for dinner.

So guess where we had lunch?  We hardly ever go to McDonald’s.  They consider it a treat.

LA CASA GELATO

Pink Gelato again? 

Well, here we are at another gelato shop and the girls are choosing yet again, pink ice cream.  Bib chose the Bubble Gum flavour at La Casa to compare against the one we had at Amato Gelato (Mario’s). 
I think it looks about the same.  Don’t you agree?

LAS TORTAS

Housemade potato chips!

wheehee!

THE BEST CURRIED BEEF BRISKET IN VANCOUVER

Curry Beef Brisket.

I’m sticking my neck out here on this one.  I do think this is the best Curried Beef Brisket in Metro.    Rating:  6/6

AMATO GELATO CAFE

Bubble Gum Gelato.

PEPITAS MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Beef and Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce.

Our Entertainment Book is still way underutilized in my opinion.  We cracked it open and plucked out the coupon for Pepitas in Kitsilano.

I Cafe, W. Broadway

Beef Brisket on Rice.  Rating:  5/6

Since starting my Grad Studies, I have learned to multi-task in ways I never imagined.  Carrying my iPhone, my textbook and a highlighter, I proceeded to “foodspot” my meal, as well as complete a whole chapter from my readings list for the day while eating my lunch.

Whizzo.

SANPACHI JAPANESE RESTAURANT, KITSILANO

I needed a drink today.  It’s been an intense start to my Grad Studies and I needed a good stiff…fruity drink.
I saw the Lychee Mojito on the drinks menu at Ramen Sanpachi and declared that it was the drink for me tonight.

HONJIN SUSHI, YALETOWN

Negitoro Roll. 

Still reeling from the Urban Fare Quinoa California roll I had for yesterday's lunch…bleh.  Today I had a working lunch at Honjin Sushi with a couple of my Cohort peers.  Boy was this way better than the Urban Fare Sushi and it was just across the street in the Roundhouse area.

URBAN FARE, YALETOWN

I’ve started my Grad Studies and the venue is nearby.  Here’s me with my deli lunch from Urban Fare.   I thought I should go healthy today.  Healthy body, healthy mind.  Right?  Quinoa in sushi?  I had to give it a go.

GF BANANA CHIFFON CAKE HEAVEN

GF Banana Chiffon Cake with Condensed Milk Drizzle and Organic Local Raspberries

Third time’s a charm with my GF  Chiffon experimenting!  The kids were happy to eat my failures because they were so tasty.  However, it was time for a flavour shift.  I had 2 spotting bananas on the counter and pureed them for the batter. 

The Condensed Milk Drizzle is my preference over an icing sugar drizzle.  It was way easier as I always have some in a container in the refrigerator.  The berries are a tiny tart and like jewels in the syrupy drizzle.

This chiffon is a winner and doesn’t taste GF.  See that crumb?  It was soft and moist but not gummy.  It hung upside down to cool and did not collapse.  It had good structure but was ever so slightly wobbly tender.

MILESTONES, KITSILANO

Watermelon, feta and roasted beet salad.

KITSTAYA SUSHI, KITSILANO

Box A:  udon noodle soup, chicken teriyaki on rice and tempura.  A good deal for $7.95.

Rating:  4.5/6

LE MARCHÉ ST. GEORGE, A HIDDEN GEM

Le Marché St. George is a quaint little corner store and cafe hidden in a quiet residential neighbourhood.  At once you are struck by its rustic French charm.  The shop is located on St. George Street and E. 28th Avenue in East Vancouver (between Main and Fraser).  

The building is surrounded by potted herbs and plants.  In the back, my friend tells me that the owner has a bee hive and is growing veggies.

GF VANILLA BEAN CHIFFON VERS 1.1 FAIL

My favourite GF flour blend and my favourite chiffon recipe are being combined and undergoing rigorous testing.  To see how versatile my blend is, I tried it in my chiffon cake recipe.

KAM GOK YUEN BBQ…AN INSTITUTION

More pork fat love, but this BBQ Pork (cha siu) is WAY better than any I’ve had from other Chinese BBQ joints. 

Hey Chinatown newbie, let me give you some advice…

When you enter a Chinatown institution like Kam Gok Yuen, with its yellowed linoleum floors and hole-in-the-wall booths, you remember a few things, ya hear?

BAAK TONG GOH FROM NEW TOWN BAKERY

Lookit those great bubbles!

BBQ MASTER, RICHMOND: PORK FAT LOVE

I must confess that I am guilty of not cutting off the fat of this bbq pork.  I ate it.

Ate it all, you hear?

Bebe, meanwhile, carefully carved out her fatty pieces and left them on the side of her plate…to be picked off one by one and eaten by her little 4 year old sister, Bib.

MEI JAN HONG SINGAPORE BEEF & PORK JERKY, RICHMOND

What do M&M's and Beef Jerky have in common?

They were both prominently on display at Aberdeen Mall.  The M&M's were not edible though.

GUU IN ABERDEEN CENTRE

I don't eat things that stare back at me! 

Stomach relished it though.  He ate my sweet prawn sashimi. 

We have passed by this restaurant many a time and chosen instead Bebe’s favourite next door, Northern Delicacy.

Today for lunch, we decided to try something new and this Guu, located in Aberdeen Centre Mall looked promising.

Grilled Black Cod. Topped with garlic chips. mmm.

Lunch Combo #4.

MOXIE’S CLASSIC GRILL, RICHMOND

Vanilla Ice Cream and chocolate sauce Volcano!

NOTTE’S BON TON PASTRY AND CONFECTIONERY

“The Progressive”, from Notte’s Bon Ton Bakery in Kitsilano.

I succumbed to the sugary nutty confection that rationalized extra caloric GF bliss.  Two shells made of meringue and ground almonds sandwiched a coffee buttercream which was decorated with sliced almonds.  Wow.  Sugar rush!  It was so good.  Very much like an obscenely obese macaron without feet.

You see, Bebe and I were just “window shopping” that day while waiting for Bib as she attended her gymnastics summer session nearby.  Bib recently was picked to be part of a competitive team and each day’s session is 2 hours in length.  That’s pretty long for a 4 year old.  However, she maintains focus because she’s having fun it seems.   Meanwhile, Bebe is bored stiff waiting with me and doesn’t feel like doing the Math workbooks I brought.  So we trekked the two blocks North to W. Broadway for a walk.  The little drag we visit is full of great shops.  There are a few antique stores featuring French decor and knick knacks that I always like to visit.  There are a few dollar stores, and tons of eateries. 

I was introducing Bebe to the term “window shopping”; indicating that sometimes you just want to stroll around and look at things and not buy…filing away in your memory something novel or nice that you would like to purchase another day.  It was like a research mission.  She got that.  She was totally into this “not buying yet or ever” thing and her attitude wasn’t of a whiny 8 year old who nags her mother and drags her feet over some coveted toy or something.  Well, Bebe never was like that ever anyway, but I’ve seen this demonstration many a time in stores from other kids.

Then we arrived at Notte’s Bon Ton Bakery.  You may recall the Diplomat birthday cake I wrote about a while ago?  No?  Ah, it is a signature cake from Notte's.

We peered through the windows at the beautiful dainty cakes.  The smell of sugar and nuts and all things sweet wafted through the air.

RECCHIUTI CONFECTIONS, FERRY BUILDING SAN FRANCISCO

Rose Caramel. 


One bite of this Recchiuti confection and I knew it was quality stuff.

See that one lonely square of Fleur de sel caramel from my bag of many that didn’t get squished in my carry on luggage (it’s the little square with the white diagonal lines at each corner)?  They were very tasty squished anyway.

COTTAGE BISTRO, MAIN STREET

Chicken, Bacon and Feta on Organic Greens with Raspberry vinaigrette.

The greens were fresh and lightly dressed.  The chicken tender and the flavour combination worked. 

This is our second visit to Cottage Bistro, located on Main Street.  The first time we came, it was to listen to Bebe perform on the restaurant's stage.  The bistro is dark inside and when you walk in you will imediately see in the corner near the front door there is a permanent musical setup with microphone, keyboard, drums etc. for live music.  In general, live jazz for local musicians and talent is showcased.

On our first visit, Bebe played a piece on the keyboard that she had been learning at her music studio.  It was a jazzy piece and appropriate for the venue and we were happy she was exposed to this kind of scene.  While there, patrons order appies and drinks generally while they listen to the live music; or they stick around and eat a full meal.  The menu highlights plenty of tapas-type dishes and also serves regular-sized entrees too. While listening to her play, we ordered garlic bread and fries with drinks.  We didn't intend to stay too long.

On this second visit, we decided to come at lunch time on the weekend.  We arrived at 11a.m. and it was quiet except for a lone man reading and eating at a table near the window.  The friendly waitress was helpful and attentive.  Stomach noticed the chef in the kitchen...wearing not sweats and a t-shirt but professional white chef's jacket.  He waved as Stomach looked towards the kitchen.  There was a big screen t.v. mounted in the corner near the bar that featured the Food TV channel.

Glass mosaics of jazz instruments and other art from local artists decorated the walls.

I was pleasantly surprised about the attention to the food at a place that features live music.  The menu is HERE.  There were some things that were really interesting (prime rib, seafood,pasta and particularly appies)  that I would have liked to try for dinner, but that will be for another day.

Blueberry Pancakes and sausages.

The kids loved the pancakes. They were tender and yummy.  I snagged all the sausage! hehe!

Eggs, ham and homestyle hashbrowns with toast.

The toast we subbed in with garlic toast.  The chef obliged and actually used freshly chopped garlic! The potatoes were not greasy at all and tasted good. 

Stomach was happy when the bill came.  It was reasonable and we had had good portions.  We will have to come back again for dinner!  What a cool place!