Don't Be Coy for Matoi

Review Snippet
Overall: Great, we will be back again
Food:Japanese
Price: $5-$15
Service: Attentive


Matoi Sushi
#490-3025 Lougheed Hwy
Coquitlam, BC V3B
(604) 464-2778

From the top left; clockwise: Salmon Sashimi, Alaska Roll, Bento Box B(beef), Ramen

In search of japanese fare in the tri-cities, we went on one of our best Sunday lunch adventures yet. 


Everyone, say kon'nichiwa to Matoi. He is small and inconspicuous, shrouded by his contemporaries in the pinetree village area, like Cora's, Whitespot. But don't be fooled by his subtle exterior, this japanese joint is a force to be reckoned with- possibly the best in the tri-cities!


The salmon sashimi tasted better than the other japanese restaurants in coquitlam. It was fresh but, a tad bit warm for our liking. The alaska roll was lovely! You can't go wrong with avocado, crabmeat and salmon. It was really reasonably priced.


Sara ordered Bento Box B. It came with terriyaki beef, nigiri sushi, tempura prawn & vegetables, deep fried wonton with salmon filling (daily special) and a side of salad. Being dumpling experts, we are not easily pleased. The fried wonton was commendable for its creativity but could have done better on taste. The beef terriyaki however, was tender and tasty and the tempura- lightly fried and oh so crsipy! Sara loved that one of the nigiri sushis was tamago which is her absolute favourite even though everyone says its a waste of money. 


The ramen was not as good as sanpachi, given the wide range it has, i guess it was understandable.The soup base was rather plain and simple, light soy sauce base. The egg was alike any other ordinary hard boiled egg, not the japanese tamago. The noodles were surprisingly good, very springy.


We also ordered the chawanmushi, but it was pretty watery and different from the kind we have in singapore, where it's more firm. The upside to this is that it definitely had more ingredients such as carrots, spinach and fishcake. However, the chawanmushi at sushi turn was better, the egg slightly more firm, filled with scallops, prawns and spinach.


Overall, we definitely will go back there again to try different dishes! Especially, to sample the variations of sashimi.-Isabel

Memphis was feeling a little blue

Review Snippet
Overall: Cool and vintage interior;Hearty dishes
Food: Barbeque; extensive range 
Price: $10 -$15 per person
Service: Slow


Memphis Blues Barbeque House
289 Bernard Ave

Kelowna, BC V1Y
(250) 868-3699

A getaway weekend filled with cherry picking turned sour.

Memphis Feast


The platter, heaped with mounds of various types of their meat(sausages, pulled pork, chicken wings, ribs, beef), was more than enough for the seven of us to share. In addition, we had quite a bit of leftovers as the helpings were really huge, or perhaps it was a reflection of the quality of the meal. The quantity terribly overshadowed their quality of the meal. I felt that the sausages were a tad bit too salty, the beef, pulled pork and ribs were rather dry, but the ribs were tender. The sides of potato salad and coleslaw were subpar, tasting rather bland and unrefreshing. The barbeque sauce on the side, to go with the meats, tasted like run of the mill bottled barbeque sauce, which we can get from any supermarket. Overall, i felt that this was rather disappointing but at its price, i can't complain, its value for money! - Isabel

Zefferelli's- Italian Food and Service

I met my good friend Sohee for dinner the other night as she has just returned from her exchange in Italy. It was a fun night of gossip- on italian (and local) boys, food and fashion- and just catching up in general, all over good, hearty italian food! Despite having just returned to Vancouver, she was saying how she already missed italian food. I'm not surprised. 

We headed over to Zeferelli's on Robson St. I was pretty excited as I have been wanting to try this eatery for quite a while now.

Review Snippet

Overall: Good, hearty italian fare. Suitable for all kinds of dates- platonic,romantic and the like.

Food: Italian- quite a good range of pastas

Price: $20 per person (incl tax and tip)
Service: Slow (to the point of slight irritation)

1136 Robson St
Vancouver, BC V6E

(604) 687-0655

We were seated at a nice table by the window, overlooking Robson St. This was perfect given the cool evening breeze that came through the huge windows. Looking at the menu and hearing the specials, I was honestly spoilt for choice. Unfortunately, with similar taste-buds, we settled for pastas that were nearly the same. 

I had the Linguini Putnesca. The noodles were perfectly enveloped in just the right amount of spicy tomato sauce, and were topped with succulent (although slightly dwarfed) prawns. Capers and olives finished off the dish nicely, adding the extra sour zing that I appreciate.

Sohee had the Linguini, one of the alternatives I was debating between. This dish had an ample portion of crab meat, some roasted peppers, artichokes and cream. It had a good combination of flavours and what I liked most about the dish was the right proportion of cream to pasta. I often find some places engulf their cream-basted pastas with far too much sauce. Noodles were served al dente. 


All in all, I would recommend this place for hearty, traditional italian fare. It is a little on the expensive side, but there is quality in the food, portions are huge (definitely enough to take home!) and the ambience is nice. Sharing would have been a good option for us, given our small tummy space, but as usual my eyes were bigger than by gut. 


My only complaint was the incredibly slow service. This was place was really Italian- right down to their service.  Being a slightly impatient person, I could not stand how they took close to 15-20 mins to settle our bill. It was not even that busy a night, nor did they look particularly understaffed so I honestly did not understand their inefficiency. Zefferelli's is a good alternative to Italian Kitchen a couple of blocks down the road, apart from their service. -Sara

Blackbird Bakery is No Bald Eagle

Review Snippet

Overall: A cute place for breakfast or tea in Pemberton

Food: Pastries, Baked Goods, Potato Bread (speciality item)

Price: $5/ person incl. drinks
Service: Attentive and personal

04-1436 Portage Road

Pemberton, BC V0N 2L1

604-894-6226

Pemberton, a city with probably more horses than people, and more farms than shops, made a city girl like me feel like a fish out of water. It was too quiet the weekend my family and I were up there, but the scenery was worth the drive. One of the other more memorable activities was our morning visit to Blackbird Bakery (BB). 

Nestled in a little corner across from our hotel, the quaint sign and tempting aromas of freshly baked bread drew our attention as our tummies rumbled, waiting to be satiated. BB did not disappoint.

To be honest, we were spoiled for choice as all the breakfast pastries looked so mouthwatering! Eventually, we settled for the Blueberry Muffin, Almond Croissant and Cinammon Bun. Overflowing with blueberries and  batter-y goodness, the Blueberry Muffin looked better than it tasted. It was pretty good but the batter was not as moist as we would have liked. The plump blueberries that burst with (almost) every bite, saved this little guy. BB's muffin left me craving for the Chocolat N' Spice ones, my mum used to buy every week at Shunfu Market in Singapore.

My pick was the Almond Croissant. I have been crazy about this pastry since tasting Thomas Haas' Double Baked Almond Croissant. His version is by far the best I have tasted and BB's definitely fell short. I felt that it was neither crisp nor sweet enough. Writing this entry at approximately 11.36pm, is not helping my growling tummy...

The Cinammon Bun was not part of our original order but my mum's hunger pangs got the best of her. The fact that it looked so appetizing did not help things either! The CB was a little hard on the outside (like most ones are) but became soft and chewy as we "peeled" our way through the swirls. That's my favourite part about eating CBs! The icing was creamier than most, and the generous amount laden over top was a little overkill. I think I bade farewell to my diet after this. Though BB's CB was pretty tasty, it still could not fend off the gastronomic prowess of my absolute fave at Grounds for Coffee, near UBC- those are beyond heavenlyyyy.

Dad, being adverse to all things sweet, stuck to a turkey and cranberry mayo sandwich. This too was quite good but I didn't like that it was served cold.

To get my daily energy boost, coffee was a must. Dad had his staple cappuccino and I, a soy latte which I have recently taken a strong liking to. I liked that they served our coffees latte-art style. Guessing what kinds of patterns I will get on my coffee always makes me happy because it makes an already good cup of coffee that much prettier :) Mum and Isabel stuck to loose leaf teas as they were feeling a little under the weather. Served in colourful bodums, this was a nice cheery touch. BB's niche is definitely their baked goods as their coffee was just alright. It was however, a fraction of the price you would pay in Vancouver.


Although BB was no bald eagle, it is a noteworthy addition to this little town, not really exposed to the wonders of food the world (and even just Vancouver) has to offer. Run by just two young ladies, one of which was clearly the sous baker, this cute little bakery overlooking an amazing view is a good spot for breakfast or a quick tea break. -Sara

Sanpachi Satisfies

Review Snippet

Overall: A perfectly adequate ramen place

Food: Japanese Ramen
Price: Under $15
Service: Rather slow and unattentive

Ramen Sanpachi
3132 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6K

Tel: (604) 738-3132

I've been wanting to eat ramen for quite long time now and it seems like eons ago since I last ate it. Trust me, I was as excited as one is when waiting(staring at the clock, zoning out of the lesson) for the school bell to ring for lunch.



Salmon Sashimi

15 minutes, sitting, wishing, waiting for the sashimi to finally arrive. It was a well-deserved wait! It was delicious, very fresh and juicy albeit not as cold as we would have liked.


Yatai ramen with chashu

The broth for this was clear and simple. The extra pieces of chashu were well-received with everyone, seven in total. It was a little on the fatty side, but the meat was tender and well-flavoured.



Tonkotsu Ramen

The tonkotsu ramen, the bowl I ordered was slightly below the standard set by Benkei's shio ramen. However, this was a good alternative! I've been waiting to find a bowl of ramen comparable to their's for a really long time. The broth was not as rich as Benkei's, but the noodles were surprisingly springy and the egg was  wonderful!



Miso Ramen

This was the ramen sara ordered, half size, 6.95, not the usual 8.95. The bowl was somewhat smaller than a regular sized one. To sara's dismay, the amount of bean sprouts and vegetables in the bowl, clearly overshadowed the noodles. The cliche saying, "your eyes are the windows to your soul" , you could see in her eyes, that she wasn't particularly satisfied with her bowl. 

All in all, I would definitely go back to sanpachi again as it seems their ramen were a cut above some of the other ramen places in Vancouver. It was almost the same, but still slightly below the calibre of Benkei's at robson.- Isabel

Edgewater Restaurant- an experience from sea to sky

My family and I just came back from a short road trip north of Vancouver to Whistler, Pemberton and onwards to Lillooet. This was a good break from summer school, work and driving lessons! The drive up was so beautiful- it made me fall in love with BC all over again. The weather was not spectacular but we did have a ball of a time. But more on that later.

On the second night, we had a wonderful dinner at Edgewater Lodge and Restaurant. The restaurant, situated on a peninsula that perched over the emerald-hues of Green Lake, and overlooked the Armchair Glacier, Wedge Mountain and Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, provided a truly serene and picturesque experience like no other.

Overall: An escape from the commercialism of Whistler's dining offerings; A must go!

Food: Quality and passionate with a unique twist

Price: $50/person for a three course meal (tax and tip included)

Ambience: Beautiful indoors and out

Service: Attentive 

8020 Alpine Way

Whistler, BC V0N 1B8

(604) 932-0688

The night started out nicely with a fresh basket of lightly toasted bread of three different kinds- regular white, multi-grain and some sort of walnut and raisin. The variety was definitely a nice touch. This was accompanied by a side of olive oil and balsamic vinegar- indications of a restaurant that knows its food. My dad also had a glass of Mission Hill Chardonnay to start.

We each had the $39 three course special which was a great deal as we could order almost any of the appetizers, mains and desserts off their regular menu. 

I had the Grilled Pear and Cambozola Cheese appetizer and it was delish. The cambozola cheese added a nice creaminess, while the walnuts added a nice crunch to the grilled pear slices, which were topped of with a red wine and honey reduction. Although slightly on the sweet side, it tasted divine with the rosemary crostini, which by itself, I must add was very tasty and just nicely toasted. My fav appetizer for the night.

My mum had the Slow Roasted Tomato and Wild Mushroom Bruschetta. Although you cannot really go wrong with bruschetta...this was so good! The creamy mushroom ragout and softness of the tomatoes (probably from all that slow roasting) lent a good contrast to the crunchiness of the garlic crostini. Topped off with a drizzle of truffle oil...heavenly.

Isabel had the Caesar Salad with Panko Breaded Aritchoke Hearts- the classic caesar with a twist. The mustard caesar dressing was a refreshing change and breaded artichokes...who knew artichokes could be so tasty? 

My dad had the Spinach and Stuffed Date Salad. Another twist on the classic spinach salad, this version had a side of dates stuffed with chevre cheese and wrapped in proscuitto. Definitely loving the contrast of sweet and salty and mish-mash of flavours  in this dish. 

My main, Chicken Marsala, was a far cry from the traditional indian dish but was very tasty and interesting. The free range chicken breast was tender while the skin was nice and crisp. Together with the slightly creamy marsala wine, and a generous garnishing of sauteed wild mushrooms, this dish had a good blend of flavours. The parmesan risotto was also a good complement.

This was Isabel's dish- Wild BC Salmon Fillet. She was a little disappointed and felt that the texture of the fish itself was just about comparable to Ikea's salmon offering. The apricot, soy and wasabi glaze was the saving grace albeit on the sweet side. Having never had quinoa before, this did not sit too well with her either.

Bison Flank Steak was my mum's choice for the night. She was very taken by the fact that her livestock was "grain fed" in its past life. I personally felt that the meat was a little tough but she did ask for it to be well done. The potatoes were quite exceptional- very well seasoned and nicely roasted. Love the crispy edges!

Dad's dish was pretty interesting, especially the texture of the Sable Fish. It was meaty by fish standards but too rubbery for my liking. My mum said she felt like she was eating a whale (although I doubt she's ever had whale meat in her life). I quite enjoyed the roasted red pepper broth and generous portions of vegetables. This was probably the healthiest dish- guess Dad's a little closer to becoming vegan.

The Lucsious Lovelies. Desserts are always my favourite part of the meal.

The epitome of decadence but it was definitely the right choice ordering the dessert special of the night! The chocolate cake was rich and moist and I loved the contrast of the cool vanilla ice cream. Why do I love you thee, my cocoa (chanel)?

My mum went for her favourite dessert of all time- creme brulee. This was also very good and the custard was richer and softer than most others. A little too rich if not shared. 

Blueberry Bread Pudding was a little disappointing. It was definitely more blueberry than pudding. Although we felt that the bread and butter pudding Isabel and I had made over xmas holidays was better, this was still pretty good.

Isabel's rasberry sorbet- so refreshing and tangy! A (more sour than) sweet end to the meal.

Edgewater was definitely a highlight of our trip (although that doesn't say much considering my family's foodie interests). With its highly vaulted ceilings, over sized windows and spectacular views, Edgewater is a great dining spot in Whistler that's not to be missed.. it can't all be about the boarding and skiing :P Remember to also take a walk around the lake and the gardens before your meal. We will definitely be back and hopefully staying in their lakeside rooms!  -Sara

The boat house

Review Snippet

Overall: A place of convenience, if you want a knotch above average diner food

Food: Pacific-northwest; steak; seafood
Price:$20-$45 per person Ambience: Romantic, by the water
Service: Good but the food took a little too long

The Boathouse Restaurant

2770 Esplanade Ave

Port Moody, BC

Tel: (604) 931-5300

This was a backlog from april, when we went to celebrate my mums' birthday. She considered a few places but eventually gave in to convenience as this was about a 15 minutes drive from our house. Also, since we had not dined at the Boathouse for dinner before, we decided to give it a shot.

Sea scallops & prosciutto

This appetiser was done well, with the salty fried prosciutto ham complimenting the sweet scallops.

House caesar

The caesar salad was excellent. It was simple but, the salad leaves were very crunchy and fresh, alongside the

parmesan and wonderful bite-sized croutons.

Sirloin & grilled jumbo prawns

This was not too bad, however the sirloin and the mashed potatoes were a little dry.There was little sauce to go with the sirloin and was rather bland and stiff.  On the upside, the jumbo prawns were very thick and juicy.

Miso crusted halibut

According to my sister, the sweet-tangy soy-glaze sauce which went alongside the crunchy-crusty halibut was really tasty. Also in this main, we felt that the mashed potatoes were rather dry and bland.

Creme Brulee

The creme brulee was not bad, it had a tinge of coffee flavouring in the custard and was definitely a winner. We thought it was quite an interesting twist as we tried guessing the extra ingredient.

Molten chocolate brownie

To our surprise, our server having found out that it was my mum's birthday, came out with a bang, with this dessert(on the house) in hand, sparklers atop the brownie, singing her a birthday song, definitely a memorable birthday dinner.This molten chocolate brownie was amazing. It was so chocolaty rich and warm, with the pairing of strawberries and vanilla ice-cream, its one we will order in the future. This indeed satisfied my chocolate craving for the night.

Overall, although the food was good, it felt run-of-the-mill similar to the other chain restaurants, such as joey and cactus club. The service was pretty good, even when it was quite a busy night. However, our food took a little long in coming out and left us sitting, wishing, waiting for more.In price comparison to the edgewater restaurant at whistler, this is definitely less value for money as they're charging almost similar prices for the appetisers, mains and desserts. We would go back again if we're too lazy to venture more than a 20 minutes drive from our house. -Isabel

A (B) for Bacchus Bistro

Review Snippet
Overall: Worth the bite if around the area
Food: French
Price: $30-$45 Ambience: A home-y vibe, but lacks the charm present in other foreign (ie australian) vineyards
Service: Slow


Bacchus Bistro
1064 216th St.
Langley, BC
Tel: (604) 530-9694


This is one of our backlog posts from the month of May. At the time, we wanted to try a restaurant at a vineyard close by, as well as to celebrate my birthday and my dads' return from Singapore. Basically, i couldn't decide on where to go, so i took up my sister's suggestion, the restaurant/vineyard in Langley.


The three of us ordered ala carte, while my dad took the set course, consisting of the duck rillette, the rock fish and the strawberry upside down cake(which we chose) .

Duck rillette

Startled , upon seeing this on the menu, i did a double take and knew that we definitely had to try it! After having fallen in love with its counterpart, pork pate, at the french stall in Singapore, i was continually in search of other species of this wonderful appetiser. This version was not too bad, rather tasty, but paled in comparison to the one we had in singapore. The upside is that this is less oily, they were generous with the gherkins and the bread accompaniment was grilled to perfection.

Lamb Shank "Aux Épices

Thereafter, came the main courses, shown above is the lamb i had ordered. They were generous with this serving of lamb, however, i felt that it was not as tender as it could have been( Fall-of-the-bone). The curry flavour and spices was also not particularly that exciting, it was quite watery and did not go that well with it.

Beef Bourguignon

Sara ordered this dish and it very much reminded us of a similar dish in Singapore. The broth for this was quite thick and flavourful, we felt that the bacon cubes were a little too big for our liking. The beef was also a little disappointing as it wasn't the "fall of the bone" kind of tender.

Duck Leg Confit

My mum had this and she felt that she had eaten better duck at the seasons in the park restaurant at queen elizabeth park. It was not as crunchy or as fried as she'd thought, it lacked the "oomph" factor of crunchy duck or chicken skin. The accompaniment of lentils was a turn off because we hardly ever take it ( perhaps maybe once or twice in our entire life) and are not accustomed to its texture and feel. The cranberry sauce went well with the duck and gave more flavour the duck.

Rock fish with spices

The rockfish was an interesting one as i've never tried it before, there was a satisfying portion of it,  tasting pretty soft, slightly rubbery and it's pretty similar to black cod. According to my dad, it was the best main of the four and the tomatoes surrounding it complimented the blandness of the fish well. The spices and tomato made this dish really flavourful.

Strawberry upside down cake

This, having been the recommendation of the waitress, was pretty good. The cake was light and fluffy, but slightly dry. The sourness of the strawberries in the cake overpowered its sweetness, so the vanilla ice cream which came along with it balanced it out well. Besides, you can't go wrong with vanilla ice cream. Initially, i thought that there was an artificial fruit atop the ice cream. To my surprise, it was a real gooseberry from Colombo. It was pleasantly sweet and fresh. Apparently,  after enquiry, according to the waitress,  it cost 50 cents.

The food was sub-par and the service was really slow. We waited for about 20 minutes for our appetiser, the mains took about 10 minutes to arrive and the desert took an extra 10 minutes. By the time we'd finished lunch, it was already 3.  Last but not least, the ambience of the vineyard was not particularly charming, perhaps it may have been the farming equipment on the side which may have been a sore eye, but it may also have been due to the lack of greenery in the area. The charm of this vineyard certainly paled in comparison to those in Australia. Although this place may have been a let down, we wouldn't mind giving it a second try, perhaps if we're ever in the area. -Isabel