Green Basil Restaurant
4623 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
Okay, well, my parents are away, and I have been eating out alot, hence all the restaurant reviews. Back to a favorite, Green Basil Restaurant in Burnaby, located just across from Metrotown. They serve my favorite cuisine, Thai of course.
Green Basil, is very clean, very neat, and the service is excellent. It is (as unfortuantely most Thai places are) a bit on the pricier side, but I guess that is to be expected. Myself, and two of my friends ordered a combo, consisting of chicken skewers, soup, salad, green curry chicken, tiger prawns in a sweet and sour sauce, and chicken in black bean sauce, and ice cream for dessert (my apologies, as I forget the Thai names of all these dishes).
I never speak ill of the taste of Thai food, and this restaurant will live upto your expectations taste wise. The chicken skewers when dipped in peanut sauce are delightful, and I enjoyed the chicken/black bean combination in particular, as I had not tried it before. The soup was a bit bland compared to other Thai restaurants I have visited, but other than that, all the dishes were superb. Its a bit pricy, but still reasonable, compared to other Thai restaurants in greater Vancouver.
Service: 5/5
Ambiance/Location: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Restaurant Review: The Eatery
The Eatery
3431 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
I used to absolutely detest sushi, and made fun of people who ate it... who in their right mind could enjoy raw fish... 3 years later, I am eating my words... I now ravenously consume the stuff, and am an absolute addict.
I got a chance to go out with some friends tonite to a upper-end sushi place, located close to the UBC campus on W. Broadway. 'The Eatery' restaurant, is sort of a funky, high end sushi place, with not quite your typical surroundings/ambiance. In fact, its more of a restaurant which has a club feel. I was not at all impressed with the service though... we had to wait about 45 min for our food to be brought to the table, which I think is unacceptable on a Monday nite.
In keeping with the theme of not quite being your typical sushi place, they offer some not so typical rolls... 'The Eatery' is probably the only place where you will find the 'KFC' (Fried Chicken) Roll, 'Mango' Roll, or the 'Jalapeno Popper' roll. And of course you can get your regular sushi rolls as well. However, all this funkiness comes at a price... the rolls here are quite expensive, starting at no less than $5 per roll, with the fancier ones being upto $8 per roll. So if you come, be prepared to shell out some dough.
I ordered a California roll, a Spicy Tuna roll, and just to fit in, decided to try a 'Jalapeno Popper' roll. No doubt the quality of the sushi is absolutely superb, much better than the cheaper sushi places. Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the 'Jalapeno Popper roll' and I would have prefered to stick to the regular sushi rolls. Having said that though, my friend raved about his 'KFC' Roll, so perhaps the adventerous types should keep experimenting with the funkier rolls.
The sushi quality found here is superb, but I am still not convinced it is worth the money you pay out. But if you want to try sushi thats a bit 'out of the box', the by all means, stop by 'The Eatery' restaurant.
3431 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
I used to absolutely detest sushi, and made fun of people who ate it... who in their right mind could enjoy raw fish... 3 years later, I am eating my words... I now ravenously consume the stuff, and am an absolute addict.
I got a chance to go out with some friends tonite to a upper-end sushi place, located close to the UBC campus on W. Broadway. 'The Eatery' restaurant, is sort of a funky, high end sushi place, with not quite your typical surroundings/ambiance. In fact, its more of a restaurant which has a club feel. I was not at all impressed with the service though... we had to wait about 45 min for our food to be brought to the table, which I think is unacceptable on a Monday nite.
In keeping with the theme of not quite being your typical sushi place, they offer some not so typical rolls... 'The Eatery' is probably the only place where you will find the 'KFC' (Fried Chicken) Roll, 'Mango' Roll, or the 'Jalapeno Popper' roll. And of course you can get your regular sushi rolls as well. However, all this funkiness comes at a price... the rolls here are quite expensive, starting at no less than $5 per roll, with the fancier ones being upto $8 per roll. So if you come, be prepared to shell out some dough.
I ordered a California roll, a Spicy Tuna roll, and just to fit in, decided to try a 'Jalapeno Popper' roll. No doubt the quality of the sushi is absolutely superb, much better than the cheaper sushi places. Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the 'Jalapeno Popper roll' and I would have prefered to stick to the regular sushi rolls. Having said that though, my friend raved about his 'KFC' Roll, so perhaps the adventerous types should keep experimenting with the funkier rolls.
The sushi quality found here is superb, but I am still not convinced it is worth the money you pay out. But if you want to try sushi thats a bit 'out of the box', the by all means, stop by 'The Eatery' restaurant.
Service: 2/5
Ambiance/Location: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Restaurant Review: Thai Terrace
Thai Terrace Restaurant
2872 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC
As almost everyone knows, my favorite cuisine in the world is Thai... I just love the taste of basil and coconut milk, and I find the food to be far less greasy and oily than other East Asian cuisines while still being flavorful. Which is why it is nice to be able to review a restaurant which is one of the best Thai places in Vancouver... Thai Terrace.
Thai Terrace is in my opinion the best 'Bang for your Buck' Thai restaurant in Vancouver. Located at the corner of W. Broadway and Macdonald, in a very friendly neighborhood and pleasant surroundings, the restaurant itself is very small, and the furnishings are sparse. However, by saving money in this manner, they are able to offer wonderful food and very decent prices. Typically, I go for the dinner combo, which consists of a Salad, Soup, Spring Roll, One Dish, and Rice for $9.25. The taste is at par with most Thai restaurants I have been to, and the portions of food are very reasonable.
This time, I went with some office colleagues to celebrate the promotion of our office manager. As an added bonus, one of my officemates is Thai, and so when we got to the restaurant, we let him do all the ordering, and he did a great job. We started with the House Salad, Tom Yum Koong Soup, Pad Gra-Prow (Chicken sauteed with pepper, onions and basil leaves), Pla Sam Rod (Fish marinated with peppers, mushooms, and basil leaves), and of course, the standard Yellow Curry Chicken.
In fact, all the dishes were superb. I love the dressing they use on the House salad, and I find Thai soups to be far better than Japanese Miso soup. The three main dishes were plentiful, flavorful, and absoultely delightful. The service is also quite prompt. I really don't have anything bad to say about this restaurant, as it is a students delight. Good food at very reasonable prices. Only the ambiance lacks a bit, but for me, it doesnt matter.
2872 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC
As almost everyone knows, my favorite cuisine in the world is Thai... I just love the taste of basil and coconut milk, and I find the food to be far less greasy and oily than other East Asian cuisines while still being flavorful. Which is why it is nice to be able to review a restaurant which is one of the best Thai places in Vancouver... Thai Terrace.
Thai Terrace is in my opinion the best 'Bang for your Buck' Thai restaurant in Vancouver. Located at the corner of W. Broadway and Macdonald, in a very friendly neighborhood and pleasant surroundings, the restaurant itself is very small, and the furnishings are sparse. However, by saving money in this manner, they are able to offer wonderful food and very decent prices. Typically, I go for the dinner combo, which consists of a Salad, Soup, Spring Roll, One Dish, and Rice for $9.25. The taste is at par with most Thai restaurants I have been to, and the portions of food are very reasonable.
This time, I went with some office colleagues to celebrate the promotion of our office manager. As an added bonus, one of my officemates is Thai, and so when we got to the restaurant, we let him do all the ordering, and he did a great job. We started with the House Salad, Tom Yum Koong Soup, Pad Gra-Prow (Chicken sauteed with pepper, onions and basil leaves), Pla Sam Rod (Fish marinated with peppers, mushooms, and basil leaves), and of course, the standard Yellow Curry Chicken.
In fact, all the dishes were superb. I love the dressing they use on the House salad, and I find Thai soups to be far better than Japanese Miso soup. The three main dishes were plentiful, flavorful, and absoultely delightful. The service is also quite prompt. I really don't have anything bad to say about this restaurant, as it is a students delight. Good food at very reasonable prices. Only the ambiance lacks a bit, but for me, it doesnt matter.
Service: 4/5
Ambiance/Location: 3/5
Food: 5/5
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Dreams...
I have never been much of a sound sleeper... although, as most people who know me, know that I am not a 'morning' person, and would much rather prefer to be under the covers, for some reason, I do not sleep that deeply during the night, and tend to wake up at the slightest disturbance.
Perhaps for that reason, I rarely ever have any dreams... honestly, the topic of dreaming has always been interesting to me. Some people take dreams quite seriously, and go to great extents to analyse and interpret what they have experienced in their sleep. Personally, I find it quite amusing... when I do dream, I rarely have nightmares, and my dreams are usually non-sensical and somewhat comedic in nature.
For the past two months, I am not sure why, but I have been dreaming on almost a nightly basis... some have been lovely reminders... spending time with old friends, and relieving good memories... dreams that I have been disappointed to wake up from. Some have been the usual non-sensical type... leaving me with not much to think about. And on occasion, I have had the terrifying nightmare, where I have literally woken up in a cold sweat.
I am not really sure what to make of the sudden change in my nightly neural activity... not sure if it means anything at all actually. So instead, I would like to pose some questions to the few people who read this blog... what do dreams mean to you? Do you take dreams as some sort of spiritual message, or is it just your brain playing tricks on you? Do you enjoy dreams, or do you just wish that you could get some rest in peace...?
Perhaps for that reason, I rarely ever have any dreams... honestly, the topic of dreaming has always been interesting to me. Some people take dreams quite seriously, and go to great extents to analyse and interpret what they have experienced in their sleep. Personally, I find it quite amusing... when I do dream, I rarely have nightmares, and my dreams are usually non-sensical and somewhat comedic in nature.
For the past two months, I am not sure why, but I have been dreaming on almost a nightly basis... some have been lovely reminders... spending time with old friends, and relieving good memories... dreams that I have been disappointed to wake up from. Some have been the usual non-sensical type... leaving me with not much to think about. And on occasion, I have had the terrifying nightmare, where I have literally woken up in a cold sweat.
I am not really sure what to make of the sudden change in my nightly neural activity... not sure if it means anything at all actually. So instead, I would like to pose some questions to the few people who read this blog... what do dreams mean to you? Do you take dreams as some sort of spiritual message, or is it just your brain playing tricks on you? Do you enjoy dreams, or do you just wish that you could get some rest in peace...?
Restaurant Review: Ming Tak Hongkong Style Restaurant
Ming Tak Hongkong Style Restaurant
8363 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC
Okay, so this is probably a review with the longest restaurant name I will ever write...
Typically when I go out for Chinese, it will be to an 'Indian-Style' Chinese restaurant, with the food liberally seasoned with Indian Spices and Chillies... however, for a change, I agreed to go out with some friends for a more authentic Chinese experience.
The restaurant is located in South Vancouver, on Granville, in a fairly easy to reach area by car. We got there at 8PM, and for some reason the restaurant was totally empty... but perhaps this is because we went there on a Wednesday night. Consiquently, the service was very good, and the food arrived promptly as the waitress was not distracted with multiple orders.
I ordered a combo consisting of sweet + sour shrimp, chicken with mixed vegetables, rice, and a spring roll. For dessert, I ordered green tea ice cream, which I had never tried before.
Now, I am not too sure what the specialty of Hongkong style is, but to be honest, there didn't seem to be anything too special about it. Compared to Indo-Chinese, the food tastes a bit bland, but still is pretty good in its own original way. I particularly liked the sweet and sour shrimp, and the proportion of food was very good, and is just enough to fill your stomach. Personally, I wasn't terribly impressed with the ice-cream, and would prefer to stick with regular flavors like vanilla/chocolate, and save my green tea to be served steaming hot in a mug. We all ordered different dishes, and looking at the menu, I would admit, there are alot of different items to choose from, in fact, more than I have seen in most Chinese restaurants.
If you are in the neighborhood, and craving some Chinese, feel free to drop in, as you get a decent bang for your buck.
Service: 4/5
Ambiance/Location: 3/5
Food Quality: 3/5
8363 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC
Okay, so this is probably a review with the longest restaurant name I will ever write...
Typically when I go out for Chinese, it will be to an 'Indian-Style' Chinese restaurant, with the food liberally seasoned with Indian Spices and Chillies... however, for a change, I agreed to go out with some friends for a more authentic Chinese experience.
The restaurant is located in South Vancouver, on Granville, in a fairly easy to reach area by car. We got there at 8PM, and for some reason the restaurant was totally empty... but perhaps this is because we went there on a Wednesday night. Consiquently, the service was very good, and the food arrived promptly as the waitress was not distracted with multiple orders.
I ordered a combo consisting of sweet + sour shrimp, chicken with mixed vegetables, rice, and a spring roll. For dessert, I ordered green tea ice cream, which I had never tried before.
Now, I am not too sure what the specialty of Hongkong style is, but to be honest, there didn't seem to be anything too special about it. Compared to Indo-Chinese, the food tastes a bit bland, but still is pretty good in its own original way. I particularly liked the sweet and sour shrimp, and the proportion of food was very good, and is just enough to fill your stomach. Personally, I wasn't terribly impressed with the ice-cream, and would prefer to stick with regular flavors like vanilla/chocolate, and save my green tea to be served steaming hot in a mug. We all ordered different dishes, and looking at the menu, I would admit, there are alot of different items to choose from, in fact, more than I have seen in most Chinese restaurants.
If you are in the neighborhood, and craving some Chinese, feel free to drop in, as you get a decent bang for your buck.
Service: 4/5
Ambiance/Location: 3/5
Food Quality: 3/5
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
India... The Bad, The Good, and The Great
So I just got back from my 3 week trip to India a few days ago… probably my nicest trip of the year… Just a few thoughts, of the bad, the good, and the great of what I saw…
Lets start with the bad. And I hope no one takes offence to these comments… remember… ‘Koi bhi desh perfect nahin hota hai… perfect banane parta hai…’
The Bad
There is absolutely no question that India has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past 15 years, and has modernized itself phenomenally. But I wonder, what is the best definition of modernization? Is it westernization, or something else? The reason that I ask, is that while I feel Indians have gone out of their way to emulate the negative aspects of western culture, they haven’t been so forthcoming in emulating the positive aspects. Everyone wants to eat, walk, shop and talk like westerners… everyone wants to date and party, and essentially do all the fun things that we corrupt westerners do… but where is the emulation of the good practices? What about punctuality? Everyone still shows up late to everything… What about professionalism and courtesy? No one has the patience to wait in a lineup… everyone just pushes and shoves their way to the front of a line (which makes sense since everyone is late to begin with)… What about civic sense? It is shameful how people still just throw their rubbish, or spit on the road, rather than having the common sense to find a trash bin.
A funny example I can think of is the construction of pedestrian overpasses in Kolkata… no doubt, a very good idea… the idea is to provide these overhead walkways so that people aren’t running across the street, risking their lives and clogging up traffic… a very good idea… at least in theory, anyway. In fact, what I observed was that people would still rather risk their lives and scamper across 4 lanes of traffic rather than simply climb up a flight of stairs and easily walk across… is it stupidity, laziness, or just a lack of sense… I wasn’t quite able to figure it out… however, what made the situation even more hilarious, is that these newly constructed structures turned out to be very good spots for guys to take their girlfriends up for a bit of privacy… after all, they were essentially deserted, I guess the view was better than that at street level, and was the perfect spot to share a bit of intimacy I suppose… now there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do so, but it just seemed like a total waste of resources. My point is, if people have decided that they are modern enough to follow the essentially western traditions of dating, then they should also figure out that a overpass is to be used for walking first, and PDA later…
The Good
I happened to be in Kolkata on the anniversary of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. While I have noticed that in the past, in the aftermath of such terrorist attacks, there will be a bit of an outcry, over time, general public apathy returns, and all is forgotten. Such was not the case after 26/11. There is a genuine sense of outrage, anger, and disgust over such a shameful act, and I felt that everyone was united, regardless of age, religion, and language in condemnation. Contrary to what the terrorists hoped to achieve, I really felt there was a sense of unity and solidarity amongst the people. It is really a wonderful display of strength, and was very much heartening to see.
The Great
I also had the good fortune of being able to travel to Southern India this time. What outsiders don’t realize about India is that travelling to a different region of the country not only feels like you are travelling to a different country itself, but in some cases, feels like you are travelling to a different planet! Mannerisms, dress, language, religious practise, everything changes. And yet, there is unity. It is still one country, and to me that is absolutely amazing.
Europe may pride itself on its culture… but the fact is, despite essentially being of the same ethnicity, the continent was, and continues to fracture itself along the slightest difference in religion or language (think Yugoslavia, or to a smaller extent even the current situation in Belgium). What culture is there, when immigrants are expected to assimilate, and you can’t coexist with anyone who is even slightly different from you? North America may pride itself on its high standard of living… but I wonder if some of the ethnic minorities in the USA feel the same way, having spent their lives growing up in a Ghetto?
Despite the tremendous differences, and difficult situations Indians have had to face, in the past 62 years, democracy has triumphed, and the country has remained united… this is something absolutely unique, and something every Indian should take pride in.
I have done a lot of travelling this year, and have logged a lot of miles. I have travelled extensively on 3 different continents within the same year, and not many people can say that. After all these travels, I can say that without a doubt, that although there may be umpteen problems with the country of India, there is still something magical about it, and I am really privileged that my roots were based from such an amazing place.
Lets start with the bad. And I hope no one takes offence to these comments… remember… ‘Koi bhi desh perfect nahin hota hai… perfect banane parta hai…’
The Bad
There is absolutely no question that India has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past 15 years, and has modernized itself phenomenally. But I wonder, what is the best definition of modernization? Is it westernization, or something else? The reason that I ask, is that while I feel Indians have gone out of their way to emulate the negative aspects of western culture, they haven’t been so forthcoming in emulating the positive aspects. Everyone wants to eat, walk, shop and talk like westerners… everyone wants to date and party, and essentially do all the fun things that we corrupt westerners do… but where is the emulation of the good practices? What about punctuality? Everyone still shows up late to everything… What about professionalism and courtesy? No one has the patience to wait in a lineup… everyone just pushes and shoves their way to the front of a line (which makes sense since everyone is late to begin with)… What about civic sense? It is shameful how people still just throw their rubbish, or spit on the road, rather than having the common sense to find a trash bin.
A funny example I can think of is the construction of pedestrian overpasses in Kolkata… no doubt, a very good idea… the idea is to provide these overhead walkways so that people aren’t running across the street, risking their lives and clogging up traffic… a very good idea… at least in theory, anyway. In fact, what I observed was that people would still rather risk their lives and scamper across 4 lanes of traffic rather than simply climb up a flight of stairs and easily walk across… is it stupidity, laziness, or just a lack of sense… I wasn’t quite able to figure it out… however, what made the situation even more hilarious, is that these newly constructed structures turned out to be very good spots for guys to take their girlfriends up for a bit of privacy… after all, they were essentially deserted, I guess the view was better than that at street level, and was the perfect spot to share a bit of intimacy I suppose… now there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do so, but it just seemed like a total waste of resources. My point is, if people have decided that they are modern enough to follow the essentially western traditions of dating, then they should also figure out that a overpass is to be used for walking first, and PDA later…
The Good
I happened to be in Kolkata on the anniversary of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. While I have noticed that in the past, in the aftermath of such terrorist attacks, there will be a bit of an outcry, over time, general public apathy returns, and all is forgotten. Such was not the case after 26/11. There is a genuine sense of outrage, anger, and disgust over such a shameful act, and I felt that everyone was united, regardless of age, religion, and language in condemnation. Contrary to what the terrorists hoped to achieve, I really felt there was a sense of unity and solidarity amongst the people. It is really a wonderful display of strength, and was very much heartening to see.
The Great
I also had the good fortune of being able to travel to Southern India this time. What outsiders don’t realize about India is that travelling to a different region of the country not only feels like you are travelling to a different country itself, but in some cases, feels like you are travelling to a different planet! Mannerisms, dress, language, religious practise, everything changes. And yet, there is unity. It is still one country, and to me that is absolutely amazing.
Europe may pride itself on its culture… but the fact is, despite essentially being of the same ethnicity, the continent was, and continues to fracture itself along the slightest difference in religion or language (think Yugoslavia, or to a smaller extent even the current situation in Belgium). What culture is there, when immigrants are expected to assimilate, and you can’t coexist with anyone who is even slightly different from you? North America may pride itself on its high standard of living… but I wonder if some of the ethnic minorities in the USA feel the same way, having spent their lives growing up in a Ghetto?
Despite the tremendous differences, and difficult situations Indians have had to face, in the past 62 years, democracy has triumphed, and the country has remained united… this is something absolutely unique, and something every Indian should take pride in.
I have done a lot of travelling this year, and have logged a lot of miles. I have travelled extensively on 3 different continents within the same year, and not many people can say that. After all these travels, I can say that without a doubt, that although there may be umpteen problems with the country of India, there is still something magical about it, and I am really privileged that my roots were based from such an amazing place.
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