Restaurant Review: Lacasita

Lacasita
101 W. Cordova St
Vancouver, BC


Why is it that I can never write a good review about a Mexican Restaurant in Vancouver? Hmmm... I wonder...


Lacasita is a Mexican restaurant located at the edge of Gastown in downtown Vancouver. I suppose the idea was to make the restaurant look as authentic as possible, and as such, it is decorated very nicely with a Spanish Movie playing on a flat screen TV, Sombreros on the wall, and a very cozy feel. However, it is equally important that the food be of the same high quality, and unfortunately, that is where Lacasita has fallen short.

I ordered a combo meal which featured 1 Quesidilla, 1 Flauta, Beans, and Salad. Neither was the taste impressive, as I found it to be quite bland, nor were the portions, which were far too small. I decided to order an ice cream to fill my stomach, as it was quite deliciously described in the menu, but turned out to be nothing more than a scoop of ice cream which you could purchase at any neighborhood Safeway with a bit of whipping cream and cinnamon on top. It actually didn't taste that bad, but I was just expecting a lot more.

I would suggest if you are in the area, avoid Lacasita, as there are better restaurants around in Gastown to enjoy.

Service: 2/5
Location/Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 2/5

'Dreaming with a Broken Heart'

I listened to this for the first time a few days ago... normally don't like John Mayer, but I read the lyrics and thought they were worth a post...

'When you're dreaming with a broken heart, the waking up is the hardest part...
You roll out of bed and on your knees, and for a moment there you can hardly breath...
Wondering was she really here?
Is she standing in my room?
No shes not... cause shes gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...'

'When you're dreaming with a broken heart, the giving up is the hardest part...
She takes you in with her big, brown eyes, then all at once, you have to say goodbye...
Wondering could you stay my love?
Would you wake up by my side?
No you won't... cause you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...'

A year in the life of an Exec...

My term as Vice President of Utsav: The Indian Students Association at UBC came to an end a few weeks ago. It is quite ironic that I feel a bit nostalgic about it being over considering just how hesitant I was to become an executive this year in the first place. I almost had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the position!

By no means were we the perfect exec, but I do think that we did manage to set a new standard in terms of professionalism, organization and execution for the club. Not all of our events were a success, but the ones that were, will certainly be remembered for years to come. Of course, it helped that we were able to piggyback off of some of the good ideas of previous execs, but in general, we were quite satisfied with out performance. It is actually a good life lesson as you learn alot about team work and time management when you are put in such positions, and guess what, we even managed to have a bit of fun as well! :)

To the next team, I wish you the best of luck, and hope you are even more successful than we were. To our team, I won't name everyone individually, but it was truly an honor and a joy to work with you all, and I am happy that I was able to make 8 great new friends this year! Cheers!

(Anti) Social Networking

I read a very interesting billboard sticker the other day which got me thinking. It read, "Why do we have more Facebook Friends than Real Life Friends"?

To be honest, I don't even remember what the sticker was advertising, but the question was quite relevant. I have nearly 300 friends on Facebook, and to be really honest, I think I would be lying if I said I was actually in regular contact with any more than 50 of them at any given moment in time.

Social Networking is an interesting phenomenon. Undoubtedly, it has its advantages. It has allowed me to get in touch with and rediscover what long lost friends are upto. It is a nice time pass. And I guess moreover, it satisfies the secret desire we all have to find out what is going on in each others personal lives.

The question that we must ask ourselves is when is it too much? Is social networking actually making us ANTIsocial? Where I once used to phone or meet my friends to pass on my birthday wishes, it has now become far more convenient to leave a message on their wall. Real life discussions these days seem to always make some mention of what someone posted on some social networking site. It seems our virtual lives are taking precidence over our actual lives. Given the astonishing rate at which the internet and social networking sites are becoming integral parts of our lives, it will be interesting to see just how social or anti social we become.

Restaurant Review: The Afghan Horsemen

The Afghan Horsemen
202-1833 Anderson Street
Vancouver, BC, V6H 4E5


Located at the entrance to Granville Island, The Afghan Horsemen is one of Vancouvers better known Afghan restaurants. Shame on me that it happened to be my first visit here! It is a favorite restaurant of a friend of mine, and we happened to head there for her birthday.


Well, one of the nicest things about the restaurant is its ambiance. They have tried to maintain an authentic 'Afghani' feel. If you come in a group big enough, you can get your own room where you sit on the floor and eat off of lowered tables. There are fine persian carpets and decorative hookahs everywhere, giving you that 'Lawrence of Arabia' feel. I am told that apparently you can hire a Belly Dancer to perform as well, but unfortunately, she was not on the menu that day... :(


Well, as for the food, I tried the 'Karahi', which is an authentic Afghan dish consisting of Lamb Shish Kebab with sauteed onions, green peppers, tomatoes, onions and fried eggs, served sizzling hot. The food has a somewhat Indian feel to it, is somewhat spicy, and I liked it very much. I don't know about how healthy it is, but there is no doubt that Afghans and Pakistanis have mastered the art of Non-Veg cuisine.


I must say the price is a bit lofty. My dish cost $20, and after, taxes, tip, and drinks, an individual bill can easily come out to $30. So be ready to leave with a lighter wallet when you enter. A quick note about the service. Although in general, the service was friendly and prompt, we had a bit of confusion surrounding paying the bill, which took about 15 min to resolve. The problem may have been because we came in a large group, but still, isn't really excusable.

Service: 2/5
Ambiance/Location: 4/5
Food: 3/5

Pride and Prejudice

It's been a while since I posted anything. In truth, the past few weeks have been not too eventful... nothing earthshattering has really been happening in Vancouver/on campus, and I haven't had any great revelations to share with the world.

I have been having some random thoughts lately about peoples preconceptions, and essentially our prejudices. I have written blog articles in the past condemning people for being racist/biased against others for no reason. But I wonder, is it okay to have a prejudice if that prejudice is not hurting anyone? I have my own prejudices against people, thoughts, and ideas... but as much as possible I am tolerant of others, even if I don't accept/agree with them. Usually, I just dismiss anything I don't agree with, without actually considering the other side of the argument. I don't think that makes me a bigot, but I wonder what it is about this mind block that keeps me rooted in my mental comfort zone. Sometimes, I wonder if it has stunted my growth as an individual... hmmmn...

Sorry for the boring post people... next time, I shall try to write something more juicy.

Restaurant Review: Andales Mexican Restaurant

Andales Mexican Restaurant
3211 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Andales is a small Mexican restaurant located in Van West. We went there for an office lunch last week. While generally I am positive with my restaurant reviews, I have to say that there is not much to be positive about here.

We went in at 1:00PM, the restaurant was fairly empty save for one large group who was paying their bill. Unfortunately, there was only one waitress serving at the time, which meant that we had to seat ourselves, get our own menus, and were not even offered water to start off with. Given that the service was this bad when the restaurant was empty, I shudder to think what it may be like at peak times.

As for the food itself, nothing special. For more authentic mexican taste, I would recommend other restaurants in Vancouver. I tried the Soft Chicken taco, which came with Black Beans and Green Salad as sides. The taste was really rather bland, and far too mild for Mexican food. While the prices were reasonable (around $10 per plate), I felt the portions were too small.

I do not recommend this restaurant... there are better Mexican restaurants in Vancouver which you should explore first, and there are better restaurants around in that part of Vancouver.

Service: 1/5

Ambiance/Location: 3/5

Food: 2/5

The Olympics

The Winter Olympics just ended 2 days ago in Vancouver. I wasn't totally sure what to expect, but have to say that the city did an amazing job, and I say to any person around the world, that the Olympics spirit is truly something that everyone should experience. The idea of the Olympics was to promote peace and unity through sport. Now I won't say that watching the athletes has inspired me to try and unify the world (in fact, I think I became highly biased towards a particular country when watching a sport), it was wonderful to see people of different colors, races, genders and cultures come together in one city, for no other reason than simply to get together and celebrate. In that respect, the Olympic ideal was very much successful in Vancouver, 2010. Each person who was here will have their own 'moments to remember'... here, in no particular order, are mine:

1) Watching 'Sid-the-kid':

Lets face it... it didn't matter how many medals Canada won, the one that really mattered was in Mens Hockey... GOLD. After 60 heartstopping minutes, the game was forced into sudden death overtime... everyone in the country was on the edge of their seats... the stage was set, the circumstances couldn't have been more perfect, as Sidney Crosby rose to the occasion and became a Canadian legend for the ages by beating Ryan Miller shortside to send the country into a state of pandemonium. You couldn't have scripted a better ending to the Olympics.

2) Livecity Yaletown

Sadly, due to laziness and lack of money, I didn't actually get to attend any of the sporting events in person. No matter, as there was plenty of other free events going on throughout the city. The Olympic Cauldron, Robson Square, Street Parties on Granville Street, The Art Gallery, Livecities Downtown, Richmond and Surrey. Of all of them, my favorite was the site at Livecity Yaletown. The Coca-cola pavillion and the Panasonic pavillions were here, along with a huge stage, and live music. at 10:30PM every night, there was an amazing highlights show, with fireworks, which was shown on two humongous screens and projected onto a fountain of water streaming out of False Creek. You had to see it to really appreciate it. Two big thumbs up to the organizers at this site.

3) Steamworks Brewery

For some reason, every night we went out we seemed to end up here at the mouth of Gastown for a drink (or two). It is ridiculously expensive, but was still loads of fun getting together with different groups of friends and then heading home ridiculously late at night. Avoid the prawn tempura though... ;)

4) Canadian Nationalism

I read an interesting article describing that Canada woke up on Monday morning with a 'sense of ease' about itself. I think that was a very good way to describe it. To some extent we definately have a complex about our neighbors to the south. Consiquently, we tend to get swept up into their identity and forget about our own. It was wonderful to see so many Maple Leafs flying everywhere, all the smiling faces, people randomly breaking into the national anthem, high fiving and hugging for no reason. Canada was patriotic, without being crass. It is at ease with itself knowing that it has the capacity to compete and succeed with the rest of the world without having to dominate the rest of the world. Best of all, Vancouver proved that it is truly multicultural... I saw people from every community, Persian, Indian, Chinese, Caucasian, African, Latin, etc, all celebrating being Canadian proudly.

Feeling sick...

Its the Olympics, and I know I shouldn't be feeling blue, but I feel sick... not of the physical variety...

Sick of research... sick of Undergrads knocking on my office door... sick of answering questions about life I don't know the answer too... sick of people... sick of egos... sick of lies... sick of telling myself the glass is half full when I know its half empty... sick of putting on a smile for the world...

Sigh... I need a doctor.

I-Buds and Bouncy Balls...

I was in a Fast Food restaurant a few days ago... after finishing my meal, I went to throw out the condiments into the garbage, and I noticed that by the trash can, there was one of those mechanical 'toy' dispensers. Basically, it is meant for little kids to put their change in, and out would pop a trinket for them to play with for a few days until they get bored with it.

Of course, when I was a kid, I had collected quite a few of these trinkets. The toys only cost $0.25, and I would end up with a toy car, maybe a candy, or my favorite, a small rubber bouncy ball (yes, I am a simple creature). So you can imagine my surprise when I noticed that the cost had gone up to $2.00, and even more interestingly, you don't get toys out of these machines anymore... for $2.00 kids can now buy earphones for their Ipods... 'Ibuds'!

Now I understand that times are changing, and kids are definitely more tech savvy than when I was a kid, and I was probably more tech saavy as a kid than my parents, and so on and so forth. But seriously? I sometimes wonder if kids even know what it is like to a 'non-virtual' toy, or actually go outside and play 'non-electronic' games. I have noticed that even my students have stopped using paper and pencil... most of them take their notes on a laptop, and 'jot' down information quickly into their cell phones. Perhaps I am getting old and cranky, but for some reason, this kind of worries me...

Keep your Ibuds kids... I prefer my rubber bouncy ball.