to do list

ok folks, so i've been thinking that i should try and explore the food scene in vancouver a little bit more. this morning i thought that i should assemble an epic list of some restaurants, cafés and shops that sound really nommy and interesting. then i decided that i should put it on my blog so that 1) it's written down so i won't lose it or forget it 2) so that other vancouver-ites who may stumble upon this could pick somewhere to eat. its got its own special separate page here (link also located on the right hand side of my bloggity blog) so keep an eye out for reviews or new additions!



i'm sure the food shall be...

to the reef

i went home this weekend for some nice relaxing time with the fam jam... which really wasn't too relaxing cause i was studying for exercise physiology all weekend.. but still. it was good times! dad decided to take christina and i out for brunch to one of the coolest restaurants (and one of his faves) in victoria: the reef. (there's also a location at commercial drive in vancouver) it's got a relaxed carribean vibe with super, super amazing and authentic food. they have some killer hot sauces too!

entrance to the reef

we started off with drinks, christina and i got the natural jamaican ginger ale and dad got the homemade ginger beer - it left quite a burn at the back of your throat. i was not expecting that when i had a sip!

dad and his super strong ginger beer

next came the complimentary johnny cakes with raspberries inside. they're kind of like a doughnut but are covered with cinnamon sugar. seriously amazing. crispy on the outside - warm, fluffy and moist on the inside. delish.

johnny cakes!

then, we ordered plantain chips. way better than the yam fries. they're served with some kind of spicy cumin curry dipping sauce which is pretty good, but i really like spicy sooo.... always eat them with their homemade hot sauce. it's the perfect amount of spicy that leaves a nice tingle on your tongue!

plantain chips

now for the meal. christina and i both got the exact same thing: huevos rancheros. seriously the best thing on the brunch menu. it's 2 sunny side eggs on top of a crispy tortilla with refried beans, chunky tomato salsa, a big dollop of sour cream and hash browns. love love love. dad got the mo' bay frittata with chorizo and whole wheat toast. i had that the very first time we came to the reef, and it's reeaallly good. i probably like chorizo too much. but it's just too nom nom!

twins!

so, that was our time at the reef. too bad nirvana couldn't join us cause they're dead... awkward. i love this place so much. it's super cool, it's got interesting food, and i really like their cocktails (especially the mo-jita - a mojito with raspberry rum and raspberries in it). super nom nom nom.

to the point

tuesday was a loooong day. woke up at 6:40, class at 8:00 straight till 12:30, did homework during the break before my next class at 2:00, finished at 3:30 then came home and started doing more homework. AND i didn't even have my 6:00-8:00 exercise physiology lab this week! i was exhausted and just could not muster up the energy to cook something. so, my roommate julia (of the english girl in bc), went to the point grill at marine drive.
now, i have been told by many a friend that the wild salmon fish and chips is awesome. i wasn't sure how the salmon was going to stand up to being deep fried, but it actually worked out. verdict = pretty tasty! i mean really, i like anything deep fried which is probably a bad thing, but sometimes you just gotta go for it. this was one of those times! you have to try it, just to say you have!

yum   : )

now. i do have to mention a very pivotal part of the meal. we already talked about the fish. now it's time for the chips. garlic fries. ooooh man they were tasty! to some people they may have been a bit garlicy, but i love garlic, so they were peerrfeecctttt!

me + garlic fry = happiness  : )

also good was the granville island pale ale, which was relatively cheap. the batter for the fish and chips had the ale in it, so the meal went well together.

granville island pale ale

so, there you have it! our time at the point grill was good: our waiter was very friendly and the service was quite fast. i would recommend it to other students, it's relatively priced, there are healthy options (as you can see i just couldn't resist deep fried deliciousness) and it just means when you have lazy days like my tuesday, you can go somewhere to relax and have food made for you!