Bella Gelateria

              Bella Gelateria is a gelato store based in Vancouver, with one location in Coal Harbour and another in Yaletown. They have won awards all over the world, so we decided to try their award winning flavour. I've been here before, but I have not blogged around the place.

               This is their Award Winning Flavour Toasted Pecans with Sea Salt. Their other flavours aren't as good as this one, as it is sweet, but not too sweet, and has just enough saltiness with the crisp bits of pecan in there. 5/5 for sure albeit a bit spicy.

Bottom Line: Great Pricey Gelato
Overall: 5/5.

Miku

View of Waterfront and Lonsdale Quay 

     Before I started this whole food blogging thing, I still loved food. However, I hadn't gotten into the whole aspect of taking pictures before everything (still don't). Hopefully you will forgive me for not taking a picture of Miku's entrance. However, I did have a visit a few months ago, and got a table with a nice view. So to compensate, I have a nice view from our table. If you've heard of Miku, in Downtown Vancouver, it probably is for their Aburi Sushi and seafood. At the price point, it better be good. That is what we hoped to get when we made a visit because my mother loved it. While this comes off as an expensive restaurant, it really isn't if you compare it to Cactus Club, White Spot or any of the other chain restaurants.

Jidori Chicken Nanban $13

        Inside the restaurant, it was very open, bright, modern and nicely decorated. Service was great too, coming around often and explaining everything to us. Our water was refilled often too.  On his recommendations, we started with the Jidori Chicken Nanban for $13. There were about 6 small pieces of chicken. The chicken had a very thin layer of batter surrounding it. The dish also came with some fresh, light tartar sauce and some lettuce slaw. The tartar sauce was so light that it went so well with the chicken. And the chicken batter really let the flavors come through, the chicken was SO JUICY. This was no doubt the best pieces of battered chicken I have ever had. With the crispy slaw and juicy chicken and tartar sauce, I will consider this one of the best things I have ever eaten. A 5/5 no doubt.

Soba Peperoncino $18

           My mom, who had been here before had raved about the Soba Peperoncino for $18, which had hints of spice and lots of seafood. It included squid rings, shrimp, sweet pepper, shiitake mushrooms and tempura flakes. The Soba noodles were cooked perfectly, soft but still chewy and the tempura flakes helped add some crunch. As expected, the squid rings and shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the shiitake mushrooms really helped. The portion size looked small, but was filling being a lot of noodles. Was it worth the price? Probably not, but it was cooked properly and cooked well at that. Overall, I would rate this a 4/5, as it was good but didn't blow anyone away.

          For our sushi, we got two different orders of sushi. The first roll we ordered was the Red Wave Roll, which cost $17. the Red Wave Roll was practically an improved California roll. It came beautifully plated with crab and avocado on the inside, wrapped in some red tuna and topped with a

Red Wave Roll $17

Salmon Oshi Sushi $16.50

sauce made of tiny pieces of onion and what tasted dominately like sesame oil. However, the ingredients were fresh, which made for a good tasting roll. I would rate it a 4/5. Saving the best for last, we had to try some of their Signature Aburi Oshi, so we got the Salmon Oshi Sushi for $16.50. The sushi was pressed into a box shape, seared, they put some of their sweet-ish Miku sauce on top and added an jalapeno slice on top. It absolutely melted in my mouth, and had some spiciness, which made it really good.  The fish was buttery, there was flavor, the sushi rice was fantastic and I could go on and on and on about how fantastic this actually was. This is no doubt a must try at Miku. I give this a 6/5. This was a great way to cap off a meal at Miku. To me, I would consider this one of the best Japanese restaurants in Greater Vancouver.

Bottom Line: Worth the price.
Tip: Ask the servers for their picks.
Overall: 5/5

Miku
200 Grandview St, Vancouver, B.C

Cactus Club Cafe Bentall 5

       Before I started this blog, my mom had a not so great experience at Cactus Club. They sent her a gift card after they heard about it. So she took my sister and I to the Cactus Club Cafe Burrard St to give them another try. The building is really nice and very clean, along with everything else. Some back story on Cactus Club: Cactus Club is a chain restaurant limited to B.C and originated in North Vancouver B.C. Personally, I feel they are a casual restaurant with the prices to portions.

Calamari $13.50

       We started our meal with the calamari for $13.50. This was a ridiculously huge portion for the prices, and came with some tartar sauce and spicy Mayo. The squid itself was very good and chewable, and it was nice and crunchy. This is coming from a person who doesn't like squid. The calamari came with some vegetables and jalapeños that were deep fried. The sauces were quite good, and benefited it for the calamari didn't have too much flavour. However, the spicy Mayo didn't have too much spicy flavour  but the tartar sauce definitely went well. Finally, this photo doesn't really do the portions justice, but we rated this massive appetizer a 4/5. 

        

Rocket Salad $17

        My mom loves salads, and she always gets salads at practically any restaurant. So we got the Rocket Salad for $17, which some nice greens and a piece of chicken breast. They actually split the salad into dishes for us. It was really nice of them, but the salad wasn't so good. It wasn't exactly fresh with the greens but the chicken was what really messed up the dish. THERE WAS A GREASE PUDDLE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DISH! We couldn't even finish our portions, even though we were really hungry.  Oh, and by the way, the reason we got a gift card was because my mother found a clump of dirt in her first salad. I would rate this salad a  generous 1/5 and would not recommend it at all. 

Chicken Tenders + Yam Fries Subbed $15.50 

      For our other entree, none of us were feeling very adventurous so we went with the Chicken

Tenders. They were described as Panko Breaded Chicken. Sauces on the side were the same tartar sauce as before, which was good and some honey mustard, which tasted very good with the crispy chicken. We replaced the normal fries with Yam Fries because my mother raved about them for $2.  They were great, being very crispy but still having that yam flavor. Including the replacement of the yam fries, this dish was $15.50. Although the Chicken Tenders were a step above the normal stuff, I wouldn't say that they were anything special. We would rate it a 3/5. Solid for what it is, but didn't blow us away. However, the yam fries were very good, and i woudl rate them a 4/5.

All our food.

      Overall, Cactus Club Cafe is a great place to stop in for a casual lunch. Although we didn't try that many things, the dishes were pretty good. They definitely are a bit hit and miss, with the deep frying.The calamari was good, and the portions were very good for the price. Although there were a few problems with the salads, so maybe stay away from those.

Bottom Line: Good, but Hit and Miss

Tip: Salads could use some work...

Overall: 3/5

Cactus Club Cafe Bentall 5

588 Burrard St, Vancouver, B.C