I published a blog in 2010 about the drawbacks of online social networking. Over the holidays though, I had a very nice experience of the positive aspects.
When I used to go to India for prolonged periods as a child, I had made a friend who was basically a young university student who lived in my cousins apartment complex. I was about 7-8 years old at the time, and while it may seem weird to people here, it wasn't that uncommon for boys/girls to befriend someone who is elder to them there as an adopted 'big brother/sister'.
After my return, we kept in touch via letters, and he sort of became my pen pal. However, as with most things, over 20 years, we slowly lost touch. I had heard that he got married and had moved to the US. I remember him occasionally, as I used to have alot of fun going to his place and irritating him especially over game after game of Carrom Board (strangely, he never complained though).
Last week, out of the blue, I got a Facebook Invitation from him. I was totally shocked and pleasantly surprised that he had managed to track me down. He is now well settled in the US, and ironically now has 2 kids, who are close to the same age I was when I used to visit him as a kid. It was really a joy to get back in touch with him, and see how his life and family had progressed. I would love to meet up with him in the future, now that we are back in touch. It was indeed a very nice online reunion. :-)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Restaurant Reviews...
Alright, well the holidays are almost over, and I have officially gone way off my diet, and indulged in 4 different restaurants over the past 2 weeks. Sacrificing my waistline so that you can read my all important (abbreviated) reviews of these four places. Here we go:
1) Tropika
2975 Cambie St.
Vancouver, BC
To start off with, my officemates and myself went out for a Christmas lunch at this Malaysian/Thai restaurant. I had been there before, but wasn't impressed then. I definitely liked the place more this time, partially because we did a better job of ordering. We ordered pretty much every course, including appetizers, soup, lunch and coffee after, too many things to list in this review. I do however very much recommend the Eggplant Dish from the vegetarian menu. It is rated as one of the best prepared Eggplants in Vancouver, and I highly agree. We were all in good spirits and had a very pleasant lunch. This place is a bit expensive (especially for a lunch), with the cost coming to $22 /head. However, the food is very good, and the service is excellent.
Service: 4/5
Location/Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 4/5
2) Vancouver Tibetan Kitchen
6591 Fraser St.
Vancouver BC
Vancouver opened up its first Tibetan restaurant 2 months ago. It is located on Fraser St and I noticed it when I went for a grocery trip a few days back. A few friends and I decided to sample what Tibetan food was like.
While the food itself was not bad, it was not what we expected. There were only two dishes which were 'Tibetan' the Momo (steamed dumplings) and Tibetan Soup. Everything else was just Indian style Chinese Food. I don't know if that is what Tibetan food is really supposed to be like, but in a way, it was disappointing.
Service: 3/5
Location/Ambiance: 2.5/5
Food: 3/5
3) Maurya Indian Cuisine
1643 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Christmas lunch #2 (because 1 is never enough). Maurya is a higher end Indian restaurant in Vancouver. We have been here plenty of times before, as it is an office favorite. As usual, we went for the lunch buffet, which is priced at $13.99 per person, which is probably a bit expensive for a lunch buffet.
The food itself is completely North Indian, but the buffet is quite wide ranging and very decent tasting. All the standard North Indian Veg and Non Veg dishes are included (Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Mattar Paneer, Choley, etc). There is also appetizers and desert included.
A bit pricey, but worth stopping in.
Service: 3.5/5
Location/Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 3.5/5
4) Bengali Fish and Curry
13030 76 Ave.
Surrey, BC
Phew, last one. My waistline must have expanded at least an inch. Went here for a family dinner out of curiosity, just to find out how authentically Bengali the place was. We got our answer. Not AT ALL.
It is a decent restaurant, but there is absolutely nothing Bengali about it. There is one 'Bengali Fish Curry' dish on the menu, but there is absolutely nothing Bengali about how it is prepared, and they don't use a common Bengali fish either (Cod, in place of something like Rahu or Hilsa).
The food itself is decent, although the restaurant service is lacking (one waiter for 25 odd people). The price is a bit high ($12-$20 per dish). The Chicken Methi Malai is really very good. However, they should definitely rename this place to Punjabi Fish and Curry.
Service: 2/5
Location/Ambiance: 2.5/5
Food: 3.5/5
1) Tropika
2975 Cambie St.
Vancouver, BC
To start off with, my officemates and myself went out for a Christmas lunch at this Malaysian/Thai restaurant. I had been there before, but wasn't impressed then. I definitely liked the place more this time, partially because we did a better job of ordering. We ordered pretty much every course, including appetizers, soup, lunch and coffee after, too many things to list in this review. I do however very much recommend the Eggplant Dish from the vegetarian menu. It is rated as one of the best prepared Eggplants in Vancouver, and I highly agree. We were all in good spirits and had a very pleasant lunch. This place is a bit expensive (especially for a lunch), with the cost coming to $22 /head. However, the food is very good, and the service is excellent.
Service: 4/5
Location/Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 4/5
2) Vancouver Tibetan Kitchen
6591 Fraser St.
Vancouver BC
Vancouver opened up its first Tibetan restaurant 2 months ago. It is located on Fraser St and I noticed it when I went for a grocery trip a few days back. A few friends and I decided to sample what Tibetan food was like.
While the food itself was not bad, it was not what we expected. There were only two dishes which were 'Tibetan' the Momo (steamed dumplings) and Tibetan Soup. Everything else was just Indian style Chinese Food. I don't know if that is what Tibetan food is really supposed to be like, but in a way, it was disappointing.
Service: 3/5
Location/Ambiance: 2.5/5
Food: 3/5
3) Maurya Indian Cuisine
1643 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Christmas lunch #2 (because 1 is never enough). Maurya is a higher end Indian restaurant in Vancouver. We have been here plenty of times before, as it is an office favorite. As usual, we went for the lunch buffet, which is priced at $13.99 per person, which is probably a bit expensive for a lunch buffet.
The food itself is completely North Indian, but the buffet is quite wide ranging and very decent tasting. All the standard North Indian Veg and Non Veg dishes are included (Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Mattar Paneer, Choley, etc). There is also appetizers and desert included.
A bit pricey, but worth stopping in.
Service: 3.5/5
Location/Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 3.5/5
4) Bengali Fish and Curry
13030 76 Ave.
Surrey, BC
Phew, last one. My waistline must have expanded at least an inch. Went here for a family dinner out of curiosity, just to find out how authentically Bengali the place was. We got our answer. Not AT ALL.
It is a decent restaurant, but there is absolutely nothing Bengali about it. There is one 'Bengali Fish Curry' dish on the menu, but there is absolutely nothing Bengali about how it is prepared, and they don't use a common Bengali fish either (Cod, in place of something like Rahu or Hilsa).
The food itself is decent, although the restaurant service is lacking (one waiter for 25 odd people). The price is a bit high ($12-$20 per dish). The Chicken Methi Malai is really very good. However, they should definitely rename this place to Punjabi Fish and Curry.
Service: 2/5
Location/Ambiance: 2.5/5
Food: 3.5/5
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