Sometimes, life is but a cup of coffee

Sunday, March 3rd, 2013 :: 11:32 pm

Simple yet wonderful, and gets you through the day.

Latte Art

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Alleyway

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 :: 11:48 pm

Vancouver Downtown Alleyway

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Moon Bathing

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 :: 12:24 am

Most people sunbathe during their vacation. We moonbathe under the stars.

Now that’s the life.

Click for larger

Beach Stargazing

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Dine Out Vancouver 2013 – Central Bistro

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013 :: 9:34 pm

Central Bistro – 1072 Denman St, Vancouver – January 28
Price per person: $28

It was my friend’s birthday and we had planned an elaborate scheme to foil into thinking that it was only dining for two. I hadn’t been to this restaurant before but he had been here both years prior and said it was quite good. I will skip right into the food and dine out that’s the meat of the post (literally).

My selection:
Appetizer: Red Truck Salt Spring Island Mussels – chorizo, tomato, basil, garlic, onion, chipotle & Red Truck lager, grilled baguette
Entrée: 8oz Sterling Silver Steak & Frites – truffled café de Paris compound butter. Arugula and enoki mushroom salad
Dessert: Warm Mexican Chocolate Cake – salted caramel sauce and cinnamon vanilla bean ice cream

They didn’t have any bread to start with, so we had to wait a while before food was served. By the time appetizer rolled around I was naturally starving :-) The mussels were plenty big and portions were quite generous – the chirizo and the soup base was quite good, made for a good bread-dipping sauce. I had not tried the carpaccio but it looked like a good size too. Funny how both dishes reminded me of Chambar, which wasn’t on my dine out list this year, but it’s been a favourite of mine many years over. I must say for the steak entree, the presentation could be a bit better, as it looked like a steak from a bar restaurant. Fries were decent, however the steak was slightly different story. I usually ask for steaks to be cooked medium-rare and this time was no different, but maybe 4 or 5 bites into it, it tasted more like 2 out of 10 in terms of doneness. I don’t mind a bit of blood, but the more I ate the more raw it tasted (maybe because of the thickness). I asked the kitchen to cook it a bit more, but when it came back I was a bit disappointed that it was still quite rare, just warmer. Dessert time came, and the chocolate cake with caramel and ice cream was good.

Ambiance was typical “dark” but intimate, and service was ok (could be a bit faster in my opinion). Slightly disappointed by the food, so overall I’d give it a 6.5.

Central Bistro Dine Out

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Central Bistro Dine Out

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Tri Pepper Crusted Vancouver Island Venison Carpaccio

Vancouver Island Venison Carpaccio

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Red Truck Salt Spring Island Mussels

Red Truck Salt Spring Island Mussels

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Swiss Chard, Goat Cheese & Pine Nut Stuffed Free Range Chicken Breast

Free Range Chicken Breast

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Sterling Silver Steak & Frites

Sterling Silver Steak & Frites

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Satsuma Orange Cheesecake

Satsuma Orange Cheesecake

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Warm Mexican Chocolate Cake

Warm Mexican Chocolate Cake

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Dine Out Vancouver 2013 – Rocky Mountain Flatbread

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 :: 9:00 am

Rocky Mountain Flatbread – 1876 W 1st Ave, Vancouver – January 25
Price per person: $18

This restaurant isn’t exactly on top of everyone’s list of Dine Out places, but it did fit the requirement for having a casual environment for good chats and also a budget Dine Out menu with tasty food. I’m sure a lot of people have eaten here before, but for me it was new!

My selection:
Appetizer: Basil Blackberry Salad – Assorted greens, crimini mushrooms, mango & roasted red bell peppers, tossed in a basil & blackberry dressing
Entrée: Naturally Meaty – Organic tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh spinach, spicy certified organic ground beef, Italian sausage, shaved red onions & sliced roma tomatoes. Topped with fresh herbs & asiago cheese
Dessert: Wine-poached BC pear with ice cream

Getting right into the courses, for appetizers, we had a choice between any of the salads they offered or the soup of the day, which was cauliflower. The basil blackberry salad was very tasty, had quite a bit of different vegetables in it, and I liked having the mangos in there. For the main, we had a variety to order from off their dinner menu, then we all shared a slice of different flavours. In the end most of us concluded that the special Farmer’s Market one was the best tasting, as was the Naturally Meaty. The desserts were choice between chocolate brownie, cheesecake, or wine-poached pear with ice cream. The pear was a light one to finish with, though I had hope they left off the orange slice garnishing (as it reminds me of Chinese restaurants…)

Overall I’d give it a 7.5.

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Dineout

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Specials menu

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Menu

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Rocky Mountain Flatbread Oven

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Cauliflower soup

Cauliflower soup

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Basil Blackberry Salad

Basil Blackberry Salad

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Farmer’s Market Pizza

Farmer's Market Pizza

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Country Harvest Pizza

Country Harvest Pizza

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Assorted slices

Assorted Pizzas

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Warm Double Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream

Chocolate Brownie

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Almost Famous Cheesecake

Almost Famous Cheesecake

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Wine-poached pear with Ice Cream

Wine-poached pear

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