Vancouver Restaurant - Harambe Ethiopian Restaurant

I love trying new food so I was happy when friends invited me for Ethiopian food.  We went to Harambe Ethiopian Restaurant on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, BC.

It was a quaint restaurant and it's great when others know what to order and could order for us.  We ordered a combination platter and a lamb wot dish that perfectly fit in the middle of the plate.  Ethiopian food is eaten without utensils.  Yes, that's right, we eat with our hands.  They serve the food with and on injera, which is a flatbread that you pick up the food with.  Now I think there is a talent for eating with your hands.  Even with the injera my fingers were covered with juices and I must have used ten napkins.  Ahh, the fun of eating with friends.  

Chef's Plate Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon

Chef's Plate is a meal delivery service that delivers all the ingredients for fresh and local meals made in 30 minutes to your home or office.  I was lucky enough that my friend who was going out of town forgot to cancel her subscription so she offered it to me.  WOW!  Of course I jumped at the chance.  I had heard about Chef's Plate before but since we live in an apartment building, it's not as convenient because I need to be home to accept the delivery.  Even though it can be delivered to the office, the delivery box seemed so large that I would have trouble carrying it on public transit.

My friend Chef's box had two easy dinners inside for a Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon and a Bean and Goat Cheese Salad, both dinner were for two people.  When I received the box at work, it looked large on the outside, I opened it and realized that the bulk of the box was the ice packs and packaging to keep the salmon cold.  I transferring the easy Chef's Plate bags (1 per dinner with the ingredients inside) to a shopping bag and just kept one of the ice packs to the keep the salmon fillet cold and it much easier to transport.  

The Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon photo impressed me that I decided to create a vlog so you can see the process and to see if I did a good job or not.  

Using Chef's Plate saved me time that week because I didn't have to go grocery shopping.  All the ingredients I needed was in the Chef's Plate bag in a tidy package.  They remembered everything and the recipes were easy to follow and read.  Normally I wouldn't be able to afford Chef's Plate so I'm happy that luck followed me.  If you are curious, email vancitygirlfriends@gmail.com and I can ask if my friend has a referral code to send to you.  

Vancouver Restaurant: Medina Cafe

The best part about having visitors and family come visit, is being able to explore the city and spend time trying new places.  When my "sister" from London came for the new year, I took a day off work so I could spend time with her.  She wanted to go downtown Vancouver and suggested we try Medina Cafe.

I vaguely had heard of the name of the restaurant in passing but not much else.  Perhaps it was one of those brunch restaurants that would normally have a line up out the door.  Luckily for us since everyone was back to work, our wait was not very long, maybe 20 minutes instead of an hour.  That is the trick for those restaurants who do not take reservations and have a first come first serve policy.  Just go to them on your day off!  

The Medina Cafe Menu had such unique items with a Mediterrean or Middle Eastern flair.  It was a difficult decision as to what to try.  Everything on the menu looked tasty and I would definitely return.  I ended up going for the Harissa Burger with two fried eggs on top of a pita with beef, hummous, baba ganoush.  It was a gourmet breakfast and soo super flavorful!  

If you come to Vancouver and are staying downtown and want a unique brunch, check out Medina Cafe.  If you are in a rush, they also have waffles to order on the go.  #Yummy

Vancouver Restaurant: The Buffet at the River Rock Casino Resort

National Blog Posting Month

Blogging Almost Everyday in November

#NaBloPoMo Day 28 - The Buffet at the River Rock Casino

When we first planned the River Rock Casino Resort staycation, i did not have The Buffet on my list even though I had a casino card which means a small discount.  Instead I was thinking of fancy dinners at restaurants and it was Carolyn who said "I want to go eat at the buffet one night."  Of course I wasn't going to stop that idea because I do love all you can eat buffets.  

The best part was our timing for eating at The Buffet on a Saturday night.  We shopped at Richmond Centre all afternoon to work up an appetite.  I specifically starved myself knowing that the Surf and Turf at the Buffet was coming up!  Surf and Turf of sea and land and that is definitely what the Buffet had.  We returned to the hotel at 4:30pm, dropped off our packages and then went downstairs to the Buffet even though it didn't open until 5pm. 

Boy that was the best decision ever.  There was already a line up and large groups ahead of us.  We made it through the line and were brought into the dining area.  The Surf and Turf weekend buffet had such an assortment of food.  Now the maximum dining time is 90 minutes and believe me, you'll need it.  By the way when we were all done and left the Buffet the line up was even longer and along the hallway so who knows how long those folks had to wait.  

There was the Turf part with prime rib, turkey, chicken with roasted potatoes (I wouldn't dare try the mashed), gravy, toppings, and perogies.  There was an unexciting salad bar.  The Surf part had prawns withe seafood sauce, and the big ticket item were the crab legs!  They had a table filled with sushi rolls and sashimi and another area with hot items such as rice, vegetables, asian noodles.  If you prefer dessert, there was an entire dessert table and a freezer full of ice cream.  So many options, it was hard to choose and eat it all.  

Feel free to check out their prices at The Buffet at the River Rock website here:  http://www.riverrock.com/dining/buffet/  

Vancouver Restaurant - Cactus Club Coal Harbour

When you have guests in town or want to be a tourist in your own town, Coal Harbour downtown Vancouver has great views and scenery as well as good places to eat.  At Coal Harbour stands the Olympic Cauldron from the 2010 Olympic Games.  It is a beautiful structure and attraction for a photo shoot.  In addition, there are the views of the seaplanes, North Vancouver and the water.  

Cactus Club Coal Harbour is right there for an elegant dining experience for you and your guests.  I get invited there for business and it is always a memorable experience.  For groups you can reserve a private room and there is a set three course menu to choose from which includes steak, chicken, fish, or vegetarian options.  Of course, I always choose their Peppercorn Sirloin Steak.  The private room has large windows to see the boardwalk.  Our guests loved seeing an odd sighting which was a family of Canadian geese that were strutting along from the Cauldron to the water before flying off.  They were able to snap a few shots.



This was a great way to start a weekend with Pimm's Cup cocktail with Pimm's No1, ginger ale, strawberries, cucumber and mint.  I chose the Prawn Ravioli for the starter, Peppercorn Sirloin Steak, and then the Key Lime Pie for dessert.  The other dessert option was the Peanut Butter Bar.  The portions are generous and filling.  I loved the flavour in the ravioli appetizer.  Most importantly the out of town guests enjoyed their meal and had a good time. 

Cactus Club Coal Harbour Pimm's Cup

Cactus Club Coal Harbour Prawn Ravioli Appetizer

Cactus Club Coal Harbour Peppercorn Sirloin Steak

Cactus Club Coal Harbour Key Lime Pie

Cactus Club Coal Harbour Peanut Butter Bar

Burnaby Restaurant: The Pear Tree

I wanted to take a walk back to a restaurant that a girlfriend and I ventured to try.  It was my first time there and it had received rave reviews from friends years ago.  My only mistake was waiting so long before I could try this award winning restaurant called "The Pear Tree" which made it to MacLean's Top 10 Restaurants in Canada.  

My foodie girlfriend didn't hesitate to go with me and it was our special girl's night out.  The Pear Tree is in Burnaby at 4120 East Hastings Street.  It's a narrow restaurant that is quite discreet and doesn't really stand out.  

When you enter the host politely asks to take your jacket as the restaurant is dimly lit and has a romantic atmosphere.  We had dinner early so it was fairly quiet.  Later in the evening the couple next to us who were obviously regulars had the chef make special dishes not listed on the menu just for them.  The luxuriousness of the place did make me feel slightly out of place even though I was wearing a suit coming from work.  

I ordered a cocktail, we shared a salad, and I had the lamb shank for the main course.  After the meal they brought us the bill with the small candied jellies below.  Such a grand dining experience that I would only need to experience once.  With all of the positive reviews and awards, The Pear Tree, is approximately $50-$80 range per person easily.  I wish I had discovered it as the chef's name was just starting out so the meal would be more affordable for me.  Overall I am so happy that I had the opportunity to experience it!  It was unforgettable and as you can also see very photogenic!    

Stagette Party: Aphrodisiac Cooking Class at Kitchen Riddles

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

When you think of getting married and the stagette, you may not think of cooking classes, but that is exactly what we did for my girlfriend's stagette!  It was called the Aphrodisiac Cooking Class which was a private class just for the nine of us.  

Chef Morgan and Chef Tony took care of us for the evening and we started the night tasting their fresh foccacia bread which was orgasmic.  It was freshly baked that evening and the bread melted in our mouths.  We had that with our choice of white or red wine.  

Then we gathered for our Aphrodisiac Cooking Class which is perfect for bridal showers, bridal parties, girl's night out, birthday parties, or stagettes.  There was a large table with enough space for everyone and the ingredients in the middle.  The chef who was teaching that dish was at the front and first he taught us knife techniques and how to chop the ingredients before we cooked.  It was better than watching the Food Network because it's in person.  Yay!  

We prepared and then learned how to cook each step of the three course meal.  The appetizer was crab cakes with arugula which were so delicious probably because of they were "real" crab cakes (no imitation crab meat here).  Instead there was a bowl full of cooked soft shell crab.  We learned how to plate our dishes too before we brought them to the dining area to enjoy!  Throughout the evening there were cocktails and unlimited wine for us to refill our wine glasses.  The chefs were patient and funny and let us be a little wild and crazy!  After all we were there for a stagette, not a cooking class, and it was a beautiful blend of both.  

Our main entree was Prosciutto Awakening which was a prosciutto wrapped chicken breast that is seared and served with a mixture of white and cremini mushrooms sauteed with asparagus and risotto.  An elegant plate indeed.  

For dessert we had a Chocolate Lava cake served with chantilly cream and pomegranates.  This was an amazing 3 course meal and I was so excited that I could recreate these dishes from memory.  That is the beauty of the culinary arts.  Not only was it was tipsy fun stagette, we learned a lot about cooking fundamentals....that says a lot that I can remember that after drinking at least 4 glasses of wine throughout the night.   What a memorable night!  

Kitchen Riddles in Burnaby:  https://kitchenriddles.com/cooking-classes/