Barbara – Ticking off the Michelin Star list…ordered everything on the menu. Tapas / appetizers dishes to share. I was so impressed on how small the space is to be able to create such flavours and textures that made a memorable impression visually and palette wise. By far the sweet eggplant crisp, and the turnip tart left me astonished at how the flavours were created! The natural taste was distinctive and deliciously fun. I really enjoyed this place! 2 huge thumbs up.
AnnaLena – Another Michelin star restaurant that I am crossing off the list. The two dishes that stood out to me were their turnip salad and the bread. The microgreen and turnips in the salad was wonderfully balanced with the light creamy dressing. I do enjoy a good salad but this one really made a strong impression on me. As for the bread, it’s a staple which many patrons rave about. The fluffy and airy bread was super light but was able to hold on to the sauce so well. A thing which is fairly hard to do since usually a lot of bread falls apart and gets soggy. But this bread doesn’t. You won’t be disappointed if you come for these two things. Everything else was comfort and good but nothing that stood out in the midst of the West Coast dishes.
Published – Been on a Michelin star tour of restaurants found in Vancouver. And Published on Main definitely lives up to their star. Their tasting menu and drinking menu collaboration is the best experience I have ever tried locally. I was blown away by the service, the flavours and the thoughtfulness of each dish and it worked so well with the drinks they served along with it. It made the entire experience so incredibly enjoyable. The most memorable dish was the taster/appetizers which included the mousse foie Gras and the most spectacular dessert I have ever tasted. It was so delicious that I had to request another one. Which technically speaking was available to order on its own since it was only for the tasting. The chef personally delivered it since he was curious about the request. I would come back in a heartbeat. Just be prepared to pay to see a big hole coming out from your wallet.
Pür & Simple – A nice and bright breakfast and lunch franchise to go with friends and family during the weekend.
The menu was vast with tons of options to customize your dietary preferences. I opted for the mango smoothie and the Cortez omelets. The portion was generously huge and made fresh to order which was nice. I really like how they add a few pieces of fruits on the side of the dish to provide some colour and a palette cleanser. Overall, it’s a great place for anyone who wants pure comfort food. For kids menu – the choices are darn appealing and I would totally order it myself.
Sushi Go– This establishment has been running for a long time in Champlain Square. It’s been a staple, yet I have never had the desire to try it out till now. I wanted a quick lunch and thought to give it a go. I knew it was operated by a Japanese family so I did have some sort of expectation of being decent. But I was still a little wary of it since the marketing and what they served didn’t truly reflect it. I was being very judgmental and stereotypical on what I had expected. I ordered a salmon bon. Surprisingly it wasn’t bad for the number of pieces of salmon that were in the bowl – but in most cases the rice was a lot. For what it was worth in cost – the rice ratio far exceeds the fish. And the rice itself wasn’t great- I personally felt there was too much vinegar there. So it was a bit too tangy for me. However, for a quick bite and decent portion and freshness – I would say it’s not a bad place to consider.
Sushi Bar Shu – A fave for many in regards to its nice intimate setting where you can have the space just with your own party. The craftsmanship and fresh ingredients provides the utmost simplicity yet the purest appreciation of taste. I was excited to dine at this omakase restaurant. Each piece was thoroughly beautiful and explained. Each item was fresh and unique but it really didn’t stand out to me. I felt some dishes were too muted or way overpowering in one particular taste note that I couldn’t distinguish what ingredient is what. Perhaps my taste palette isn’t as refined and so it didn’t stand out to me. I think I prefer more of a Kaiseki style now than omakase. I think my preferred omakase experience is still Sushi By Yuji and my experience in Japan. Very small and simplistic but not overly too fancy.
Okeya Kyujiro – As mentioned before, I am always a fan of Japanese cuisine. So when I came across Okeya Kyujiro on a friend’s Facebook page I knew I had to try it. It was first established in Montreal, and now they have opened their second location in Yaletown. This place is very unique as it provides a full on immerse omakase dining experience with a bit of a visual impact entertainment from the beginning to end. There are only two serving times and with a limited seating of 12 people. All the staff are dressed in more traditional Japanese wear and the food is flown fresh directly from Japan. You are introduced to the staff and watch how the chefs are making each item and have the servers explain each dish and will show you the ingredients prior to preparation. Each dish was incredibly delightful and delicious. It was clearly something I have never tried before and I was completely impressed with it. I enjoyed every aspect of the experience and the food. It’s definitely a place you should go at least once and on a special occasion since it’s priced on the high end side.
Chez Temporel –This is my third visit to Quebec and every single time it gets better and better. We decided on Chez Tempurl as our dinner for the evening in the heart of old Quebec City. A little quaint restaurant of 50 years of business that creates comfort home cooked Quebec dishes. One great thing that I liked was that the menu was very small. It demonstrates to me that they make only what they know best and they are proud of it. We ordered French onion soup, duck confit, mushrooms and risotto, and the lamb shank. Just like in Paris, the style of dining is very relaxing and slow paced. The chef is very passionate about the dishes they serve so it does take some time. Each item that we ordered was fantastic. The food was made with a lot of patience which can be tasted in each bite. There was plenty of flavour that layers itself for each dish. I can’t say which dish was my favorite since each one complemented each other so that one didn’t stand out from another. They all worked together fantastically. It made the meal all more enjoyable. I would definitely go again and I would highly recommend anyone to give it a try since it’s slightly off the path of the main streets of old Quebec City yet it’s the perfect place to be if you want to wind down and avoid the heavy foot traffic.
Northern Cafe & Grill – This place is so worldly famous – no seriously! Many tourist from around the world would come to this cafe. An interesting back history on this unique diner. The diner is situated in a lumber yard in a somewhat makeshift space above the lumber yard office. You wouldn’t even know this place existed unless you purposefully look for it. A greasy spoon that is run by an immigrant Asian family that serves a mix of Cantonese style noodles / rice and you’re typical breakfast and sandwich orders. Ordered their bacon cheese burger, wanton soup and their breakfast pancakes. All I can say that – WOW to the comfort food. All the ingredients are super fresh and made with care. Dishes are super hearty and generous. My biggest surprise was the wontons. I didn’t expect a place like this to have such incredible wontons. The texture and bounciness of the meat inside gives that nice bite. You can’t go wrong with this place. Don’t be fooled by the state and condition of the place – the food is legit!
Personas – I don’t usually like trying out places in hotels as I find their food quality tends to be mediocre. I was invited for lunch there so I decided the sandwich for lunch. The item that caught my eye was the wicked tuna club. I really enjoy a good ahi tuna burger, and my favourite one was from Joeys. Sadly, they took that item off the menu a few years back. When it arrived, it was nicely presented with some fresh cut fries on the side. The sandwich itself was served on a nice buttered brioch bun, with bacon slices, an onion ring and their red pepper jam. The flavour combination wasn’t bad but sadly the tuna was overcooked to my liking. So it was drier than I had expected, so the jam and bacon just masked the dry texture of the tuna a bit. So, I would say it was disappointing but I should have known better and picked something safer to try the first time. I would give this a second try and see if the other items are any better.
