Eric's Tummy Points
Weblog
Friday, 26 February 2010
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Kamei Royale
Kamei Royale1030 W. Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC V6E 2Y3
604-687-8588http://www.royalebisu.com/
kamei
Price: $$
Ambiance: Casual
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3/5
Tummy Points: 3.5/5
Notes: Soft shell crab roll
$7.95, Noodle Combo B
$11.50, Street parking.
Situated just a few blocks away from Waterfront station and the 2010 Olympic flame, Kamei Royale is right in the heart of all the action and frequently busy during lunch hours. Opened in 1976 and renovated in 1990, Kamei Royale includes Robata grill, bar lounge, and Tatami rooms to accomodate many tour groups that frequent the Vancouver downtown area.
Kamei Royale is on the second floor of a lowrise and fairly easy to walk passed without noticing. Similar to restaurants in Japan, their outside glass windows display numerous dishes of fake food representing some of their most interesting dishes like live lobster sashimi and Spanish mackeral.
Above, I ordered soft shell crab rolls. The crab was almost caramelized. Very crunchy legs. The middle rolls had the crab shell with an oddly consistent yellow cream. It looks more like eggs than the often messy softshell crab shell. It didn't come out hot so it was not likely freshly cooked but it tasted good.
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Sunday, 07 February 2010
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Coppi Ristorante
Coppi Ristorante3363 Yonge Streethttp://www.coppiristorante.com
Toronto, ON M4N 2M6
416-484-0436
Price: $$
Ambiance: Casual
Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Tummy Points: 3/5
Notes: Burrata Caprese $15,
Trenette alla Genovese
$18, Salmone alla Livornese
$25. Street and valet parking.
Named after Fausto Coppi, a renowned cyclist between 1939 and 1958, Coppi Ristorante was opened in 1991 by Fausto Di Berardino, unrelated to Coppi. The restaurant presents simple Italian cuisine with one or two spices per dish - which is a pleasant departure from the complex spices and chemicals used in present day fast food.
I went during this year's annual Winterlicious, where a few of Toronto's fine restaurants present fixed price menus. Although not all items I ordered were off the fixed price menu, almost all of their fixed price menu items were available in the regular dinner menu. My visit was on a weekend so the restaurant was very busy with most tables filled and staff busy sliding around chairs. The interior is simple and dimly lit. Numerous wine bottles lined the walls.
The salmone alla Livornese, a norwegian salmon filet prepared in a light tomato sauce with black olives, capers and served with a rustic mash & steamed asparagus, was not very visually pleasing. My initial thoughts were the fish was going to be soggy and the flavoring would be heavily diluted to an almost watery taste. I'm not a fan of olives so I quickly brushed them off to the side.
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Monday, 01 February 2010
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Urbanspoon
As you may have noticed, I've been slowly integrating my blog posts with a link to Urbanspoon. I've found Urbanspoon reviewers to be better than those found on Yelp. They also include timely information like a link to their menu and hours of operation. Hopefully this additional source will be helpful for you. Definitely let me know what you think and how I can make Tummy Points better for you.
Saturday, 30 January 2010
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El Japanese Fusion
El Japanese Fusion
17-2008 33 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2T 1Z4
403-217-6796
Price: $$
Ambiance: Casual
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Tummy Points: 3.5/5
Notes: Rainbow Maki Roll
$14.95, Appetizer Tempura
$6.95.
Although Calgary is a land locked city, there's no shortage of sushi restaurants with great ones like Globefish (which I will review very soon). Another good restaurant I tried out in Calgary is El Japanese Fusion. Although it has fusion in its name, there's nothing really fusion about it unless you count Philadephia and Mexican maki rolls as a fusion of Japanese with Western culture.
El's is a very small restaurant with a few two and four person tables and bar seating. It's a hard place to get seated during lunch hours. Service is usually understaffed with 1 or 2 persons servicing the dining area. I've heard mixed stories about their service but on my visit I received friendly service although fairly slow.
All the dishes were freshly prepared. The spicy salmon maki rolls used lots of sweet chilli sauce with cold soft chopped up salmon on top of salmon roll. It was not what I had in mind as I prefer spicy mayo. The fresh was very fresh. The rice roll was packed just tight enough.
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Tuesday, 26 January 2010
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La Bocca
La Bocca
4232 Village Stroll
Whistler, BC V0N 1B4
604-932-2112
http://labocca.moonfruit.com
Price: $$
Ambiance: Casual
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Tummy Points: 4/5
Notes: Surprisingly good food
for a touristy area.
Spaghetti Bolognese $15, beef
burger $14.
Up in the heart of Whistler Village Square lies a jem of a restaurant called La Bocca. They claim to serve casual French fare but I don't think you can tell from my hamburger or Thai wrap. But that doesn't matter. What matters is whether they serve good food, is it reasonably priced, and how's the service?
If you're in Whistler in the summer you'll want to enjoy your lunch on La Bocca's patio. Seating is limited and really tightly packed. The interior is nicely decorated in wood but with some bright colors creating a mix of outdoorsy yet modern look. I didn't think too much about it since touristy places usually blend the weirdest things together.
The beef burger came out hot on one side of the bun while garnishes covered the other side of the bun. The burger was nicely charred and thoroughly cooked through. Although it was a pre-made patty, the beef was fresh and juicy with a good ground beef texture. The slices of pickel and onion were fresh while the tomato was not yet ripe.
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