More to come!

Dear Eaters,

My apologies for the long hiatus, but I'm prepared to make this up to you with an upcoming expose on Bin 942 and Diva at the Met. Please be patient... I will try to have them posted by next weekend. Thanks for your support!

Steppin' into Stepho's

At the suggestion of several friends, I visited the famous Stepho's on Davie to try out its famous portions and great taste. It's been legended to have not so famous line-ups and received rave reviews from several people I've talked to. Therefore, I was truly excited to finally try out one of the most well known Greek restaurants in Vancouver's history.

We ordered the mousakka, chicken souvlaki, and baklava. To be fair, I was quite impressed with its portions, as we were all struggling to finish until the very end of the meal. However, the quality of its dishes were not as I expected. The two entrees were more greasy then I would have liked, especially with the meat in the mousakka and the rice in the souvlaki. If you had taken your fork and pressed on both items, you can see the oil drizzle out of the sides. On the other hand, the chicken was dry and difficult to separate from the skewer. The potatos lacked flavor and punch. Last came the baklava, cold and uninteresting in texture nor taste, with only sweetness prevailing.

Maybe it's because I'm used to visiting other Greek restaurants, I carry no prejudices against this one and am willing to try it again, but I do so with caution that its dishes may not stand up to my scale of good eats.

Pretty Pearl Sparkles as Great Budget Eat

What lies behind a fogged up storefront and an unassuming facade is Pearl Hotpot. A jewel among the strip of small local restaurants along Burnaby's Kingsway corridor, Pearl hotpot offers a variety of reasonably priced combos that suits the tastes of almost everyone interested in "hotpot," a way of eating whereby a person cooks an assortment of food through a pot of boiling water or soup base. The varieties are endless, and anything is considered hotpot food, including vegetables such as lettuce and enoki mushrooms, noodles, chicken wings, and seafood such as prawns and lobsters. At first glance, the restaurant looks to be a simple mom and pop operation, but the adventure begins right after your order.

We first began by choosing a soup base, ranging from plain water to satay flavours. Then we choose our meat/seafood entree, which comprises of 70% of the whole meal + an assortment of vegetables like the ones mentioned above. Once the ordering has finished, the broth in the pots bubble with fervor until the orders arrive in immaculate form. Along with your main dish (whether it will be beef, chicken, or seafood), you will also be presented with a neatly arranged plate of vegetables such as lettuce, enoki mushrooms, and tofu. These, considered the side dishes, accompany the main dish, such as your meat/seafood. Aside from the tofu (which I personally dislike), I enjoyed the whole experience of simmering my food in a rich flavorful broth that wasn't too salty or spicy.

For under $15 + tax + gratuity, I have never been able to get such quality fare at such low prices. That's why it's become one of my top recommendations for a Great Budget Eat. But you'll have to keep in mind that I went at the "special price" after 1:30/2:00 in the afternoon. I guess that's the sacrifice you have to make to get such a good lunch.