Araxi

4222 Village Square 
Whistler, BC


Being a well-known establishment famously featured in the 6th season of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, of course I had to try Araxi while in Whistler! Admittedly though, I didn't have very high expectations due to some mixed reviews I've read online. However, in the end, I was thoroughly impressed with that night's dinner.


W and I had a really tough time deciding what to eat! We had to shoo away our server a few times due to our indecisiveness haha... After some discussion, we made our orders and settled in with a Pear Mojito to share and some complimentary rolls. The rolls came with an olive oil and mashed bean spread. The server introduced the spread to us but we couldn't hear him clearly so I have no idea what it's called. I found the taste to be a bit bland but it was quite unique; a nice change from the usual butter.

Satori OystersFreshly grated horseradish and raspberry vinaigrette

I chose a pair of oysters from the raw bar as our first starter. Truth be told, I just randomly picked the type of oyster from the menu. I had no idea how to differentiate them. These ones were very fresh and clean tasting with a hint of saltiness from the sea water. W didn't like to eat raw oysters and so he had never tried one before. After some prodding from me, he finally ate his first raw oyster! And he liked it!!

Canada Prime Beef CarpaccioArugula, crisp Pemberton beef shortrib fritters, pecorino romano and local horseradish pickled shiitake mushrooms

The beef carpaccio was thinly sliced and tender but I wasn't very wow-ed by it. The shortrib fritters were alright...I found it a bit dry and could be more flavourful. I've eaten shiitake mushrooms fresh and dried in Chinese cuisine so tasting them in West Coast fare was interesting and surprisingly I liked the pickled taste of it.

Three Cheese Tortellini (feature special)Sage and garlic sausage

Our third appetizer was selected from that night's feature special. If our server hadn't mentioned it, I thought this was a featured main! The tortellini was delicious with the creamy cheesy sauce and the savoury sausage was equally yummy. I would've liked it more if they had seared both sides of the sausage though and not just the top. The sauce was definitely a highlight. I think I mopped up the remaining drops with the bread!

Qualicum Bay Scallops Smoked sable fish agnolotti, crisp local parsnips, smoked bacon and a saffron and white wine sauce
W and I chose to share the main entree and the kitchen was kind enough to split it into two plates for us. This was SO SO GOOD! The scallops were cooked perfectly with a nicely seared crust. The sable fish agnolotti had a wonderful aroma when I bit into it and that was what really made the dish for me. I closed my eyes and savoured each bite of it. I think I know what a foodgasm feels like now haha...

I also ordered a side of Truffle fries to share. Honestly, since I've never really tasted truffles before, I can't tell you if it was rich with truffle oil or not. But the fries were crisp and warm and the grated parmesan cheese imparted a nice savouriness. I finished all of these to the last bit too!
Chocolate and Walnut Cookie
We didn't have dessert but we received complimentary cookies to end the meal! They were served warm with a sprinkling of icing sugar on top. The edges were crisp but the cookie itself was still soft which I liked (I do not like crispy cookies). Yum!
Overall, I was really impressed with Araxi. The food was top-notch and the service was attentive and not pretentious at all. I was awed and impressed when our server swept our table crumbs away with a little gadget, shaped like thin pen, he withdrew from his shirt pocket. I've never encountered a restaurant that did this so both W and I thought that was pretty neat.

Yes, the menu was quite pricey in my eyes but with the way we ordered, it actually amounted to the same as a $38 DOV meal for 2 (including drinks). So, actually, this wasn't too bad!

Whistler Weekend Getaway

Hard work definitely gets rewarded! W recently won an award for excellent customer service at his company, and his reward? An all-expenses paid (sort of) weekend trip to Whistler!!! I was just lucky to tag along :)


After an uneventful drive up the newly upgraded Sea to Sky highway, we arrived at the Chateau Fairmont to check in. It was already mid-afternoon so we quickly dropped off our bags, pulled on our snowpants and headed out to the village for the day's activities.

Since I'm not a skiier/snowboarder, W was kind enough to accompany me on doing sightseeing activities this weekend.

We first rode the Whistler gondola up and transfered to ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. The Peak 2 Peak opened in December 2008 and connected Whistler mountain and Blackcomb mountain. I was pretty excited because the gondola set world records for being the longest and highest gondola! But I guess being the highest gondola meant equally high admission prices! Our tickets were nearly $100 (2 return-trip tix)!!!

Even though it was cloudy and snowing that day, the view was still phenomenal!! Imagine what it'd look like during summer!

Unfortunately, the Peak 2 Peak closed at 3:30 so we hurriedly returned to Whistler mountain and didn't spend much time mingling around Blackcomb mountain. The view going back down to Whistler village was pretty nice too. We could see that the sky was starting to clear up on the horizon and I also caught a glimpse of the Whistler Sliding Centre (the 2010 Olympic venue for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events) from above!

Setting foot back at the base, W and I rested for a while and then headed to Araxi for an incredibly wonderful dinner (food post to be followed shortly!).

I did some homework prior to the trip and jotted down all the Olympic venues located in Whistler that I wanted to visit haha! I don't know why...I'm just pretty excited seeing all these places related to the 2010 Olympics. And after finding out that there are free unguided tours of the Whistler Sliding Centre, well I just gotta go! My mood was a little dampened though when W reminded me that this was where the Georgian luger accidentally hit one of the posts during his test run and died.... :T

Another place on my list was the Whistler Olympic Park in Callaghan Valley. This was where ski-jumping, nordic combined, cross-country skiing, and the biathalon took place. Don't the ski jumps look breath-taking? Standing at the bottom and looking up, you can imagine the athlete soaring through the crisp blue sky.

A little further up the road in Callaghan Valley was the venue for cross-country skiing and the biathalon. It was pretty cool standing where all the athletes once competed.

The sun was starting to set so we hopped back into the warmth of W's car and made our way back to Vancouver. That weekend, I experienced 2 contrasting kinds of weather, witnessed the beauty and serenity of the mountains (Beautiful British Columbia indeed!), tasted incredible cuisine, and most important of all, spent a memorable time with my beloved W *blush*

Dine Out Vancouver - YEW restaurant + bar

791 West Georgia
Vancouver, BC

For my second DOV excursion, I visited YEW restaurant + bar located inside The Four Seasons Hotel. This time, dining along with me were W and our friend/colleague Miss K.



I've previously eaten at YEW once and that was nearly 2 years ago but I so remember clearly the salmon I had was incredibly delicious. I haven't had the chance to do a re-visit since then so this was a good opportunity to check out YEW again. Off the bat, I was a little disappointed that the hostess didn't ask to check my coat for me. It's not a big deal but sometimes these little touches add up points in my book.

Once seated, we settled in, made our orders and had complimentary bread and butter sent to our table.

Porcini Soup

Porcini mushroom with Farmhouse Camembert Rye Toast

This was my starter. The soup had a light earthy taste, although the fragrance of it reminded me of Campbell's cream of mushroom LOL. I thought it would be creamy (perhaps it's my cream of mushroom soup perception?) but in the end I thought it was not bad. The Camembert was warm and soft while the toast was just alright. I might try making the toast at home!

Winter Pear Salad

Compressed pear, Winter greens, Candied Agassiz Hazelnuts, Blood orange vinaigrette

W and Miss K had the salad. From their reactions, I don't think they found it very exceptional. Kind of like a regular salad with pear. I tried a bit of the greens since I can't eat pear and I found the vinaigrette a bit too tart for my liking. With the kind of bitterness from the greens, I would like a sweeter dressing but maybe that's what the pear is for?
 

Black Cod

Honey-thyme glaze, Parsnip souffle, Glazed carrots and green beans

YUM-O!!! The black cod was done just absolutely perfect!!! A crispy exterior with a soft, buttery interior... The fish was already seasoned nicely so I didn't really need the glaze at all. I liked the carrots and beans too which still had a nice crunch to it. The parsnip souffle was the only part I wasn't too fond of. I've never encountered a root vegetable made into a "dessert" (the exception being carrot cake!) so I guess I just thought it was a little strange.

Veal

Braised veal cheek, Hazelmere celery root, Spinach and Shiitake ragout

I only tasted the veal from a small bite but it was tender and flavourful. The celery root seemed like a very creamy mashed potato so this could be deemed a light version of a meat and pototoes dish.
 

Risotto

Buttercup squash risotto, Black trumpet mushrooms & Crispy brussel sprouts

I only had a small bite of the risotto as well so I can't provide much commentary; however, Miss K found it to be quite good. I deem her to be a pretty good foodie so I trust her taste buds.

Everything went well up until we were finishing up our entrees. W finished first so the busser swiftly took his plate away first. Since Miss K and I were still eating, W decided to nibble on some bread. But when the busser took away Miss K's plate, she also took away the bread without asking if we still wanted it! So, my plate of food was the only thing left on the table and it made me feel kind of awkward :( Miss K said that, technically, the busser should wait until everyone has finished with their plates and ask the guest for "permission" before removing them. Anyway, once I was finished eating, she came by to pick up my plate the second I set my knife and fork down. We were a little annoyed by the "efficiency" of our busser but oh well...

 

Chocolate

Milk chocolate pot de creme, Sweet spiced poached pears, Milk jam

Kind of like a thick, sticky chocolate-caramel-y pudding, everything with the pot de creme was good! I mentioned above that I can't eat pears because I'm allergic to them (and many other fruits) but I can eat them when they are cooked so I was able to try the poached pears. I think I like the poached pears from MARKET more. What I found funny was that the pears from MARKET looked like salmon sashimi while the pears from this dessert at YEW looked like tuna sashimi to me LOL...

Pineapple

Carmelized pineapple tart, Vanilla bean chiboust

 

The custard filling was sweet which coupled well with the slightly tart pineapples. However, the tart shell was a bit too hard making it difficult to break apart with the fork. I liked the pot de creme more hehe...

After finishing the meal, we sat and chatted for a while. We didn't expect another server to bring a plate of these for us to snack on! There were cocoa and icing sugar dusted almonds and toasted coconut crusted marshmallows. That was a nice gesture. It made me feel like we were welcome to stay longer rather than rushing us to leave so they could have the table back. Perhaps, this was to make up for the annoyance we experienced earlier. Anyhow, I enjoyed the evening and would come back to YEW when the opportunity arises again. They definitely do good fish!!

Dine Out Vancouver - MARKET by Jean-Georges

3rd Floor, 1128 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC

On the first night of the Dine Out Vancouver event, W and I had the opportunity to go to MARKET by Jean-Georges located in the Shangri La Hotel in downtown Vancouver. I wanted to try this place for last year's DOV but all the bookings were taken so I was pretty estatic to get reservations this year.

Upon entering the restaurant, the hostess opened the door for us, warmly greeted us in and checked my coat for me. First impression so far was excellent. They took us in to one of the smaller private dining rooms and we were seated at a table in the corner beside the window. It was very cozy and romantic with the soft banquette and pillows on my side.

W and I took a quick look at the menu but we already knew what to order: 1 of each from the dine out menu! LOL! It's the best way to sample everything!

After we placed our orders, the server arrived with complimentary dinner rolls and butter. They were good but a little ordinary. I would have liked them more if they were warm.

Left: Tuna Tartare Avocado, Spicy Radish Ginger Dressing
Right: Steamed Shrimp Salad Tender Greens, Avocado Champagne Dressing

The salad was quite nice. The shrimp lent some warmness to the cool crunchy greens while the shrimp itself was cooked just right, with that "snap" when bitten. However, if the menu didn't say steamed, I would have thought they were cooked in butter because somehow I tasted a rather strong presence of butter. It reminded me of buttered popcorn! The tuna tartare was fun to eat. Mixing together the dressing with chopped tuna and avocado, it was cool and smooth, some tartness with a bit of heat in the first bite. The spiciness mysteriously disappeared after that though. I ended up mopping up the rest of the dressing with dinner rolls! It was that yummy!

Roasted Lingcod
Malaysian Chili Sauce, Thai Basil

For the entree, we shared the lingcod and the short rib. The lingcod wasn't too bad. It was flavourful and I liked the crispy top, but the chili sauce was too spicy for me to handle on its own. I'm not very tolerant with spiciness so I thought it was a bit too much. Thankfully, the server brought a bowl of rice to accompany both of our entrees so the rice helped "dilute" some of the heat. Regardless, the sauce was very tasty and it went well with the rice and fish.

I forgot to mention that W and I ordered a drink to share. We had the Jasmine Lemonade Soda and I absolutely loved it! It had such a strong jasmine essence that W was left wondering how they extracted such a concentrated jasmine flavour! The soda was very light and refreshing...YUM-O!

Soy Glazed Short Ribs

Apple-Jalapeno Puree, Rosemary Crumbs

On the other hand, the short ribs were more forgiving on my palate. It was a combination of sweet and savouriness. The rich, concentrated flavours of the sauce also needed rice to go with it. The short rib was tender albeit a little dry. I thought the apple-jalapeno puree was a little strange, but it's probably because the taste was something new to me. Along with the rosemary crumbs, I liked the different textures of this dish. By the way, I read somewhere that crumbs are the new foam in culinary science. Haha!

Ovaltine Kulfi

Carmelized Banana and Spiced Milk Chocolate Sauce

Ok, I admit it, I wanted to come here because of this dessert. It's Ovaltine! I've never heard of Ovaltine being used in desserts before! While it was unique, I felt a bit underwhelmed. Eating the Ovaltine kulfi was sort of like eating a chewy chocolately fudge. The carmelized banana was good though; warm and soft with a sweet crunchy top.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta
Madeira Poached Seckel Pear, Elderflower Cordial

The panna cotta was slightly tangy due to the buttermilk but it had a fragrant vanilla flavour. I could see the specks of real vanilla beans in the panna cotta. I wasn't too fond of the panna cotta because it was a little too soft. It didn't hold up too well when I spooned into it. I loved the poached pears though!

Overall, it was a lovely experience. Both W and I thought the entrees were heavily Asian-influenced so nothing exceptionally "wow-ed" me. However, the service made up for the food. The servers were wonderful and we never felt rushed at all despite it being a DOV meal.

豆豉鯪魚 Fried Dace in Black Bean Sauce

Lucky Joy BBQ Restaurant
11780 Thorpe Road
Richmond, BC

Do you know how many years it has been since I savoured this delicious, salty canned fish?? When I was small, my family used to open a can of fried dace in black bean sauce (FDBBS for short) to add to the dinner table once in while. Then, for some reason, this particular canned product just disappeared and it had also disappeared from my memory.

Last year, all of a sudden, I had a craving for FDBBS but I couldn't find it in all the Asian supermarkets throughout the city!!! After some searching on the Internet I found out that for many years now Canada had stopped allowing the import of this canned fish from China because of a chemical, malachite green, contaminating the fish which could cause cancer. Well....this news didn't seem to damper my craving haha...
Then, one Saturday in January, I found the elusive FDBBS at Lucky Joy!!! Oh, what luck and what joy! Haha!



The fried dace in black bean sauce was stir-fried with romaine lettuce so the overall saltiness was just right. It went very well with rice. There were not a lot of chunks of the fish but, hey, I'm not complaining. I was just overjoyed to have found FDBBS in the city. We asked the chef where he got it from but all he said was that his supply was from the U.S. Well, I guess it doesn't matter since I now know where to go to get my FDBBS fix!

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

1690 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC

What's a better way to cure the winter chills than with a nice steaming bowl of ramen? One evening in early January of this year, my boyfriend (and eating partner haha) W and I went to Hokkaido Ramen Santouka for dinner. After reading excellent praises from another food blog, I really really wanted to try the toroniku (pork jowl or pork cheek) ramen.

We had a choice of soup base for the ramen and I ordered the miso, wanting something more hearty, and W selected tonkotsu.

The toroniku came on a separate plate along with bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, the pink swirly fish paste slice, and green onions. You could dump everything in with the noodles but I opted to leave the toroniku on the plate so I could dip each slice in the soup before eating.

It was my first time having toroniku at Santouka and my first impression was literally OMG. It was melt-in-my-mouth meaty goodness!! The pork wasn't very fatty per-se but the richness of the meat and the soft texture made it seem like it was. The miso soup for the ramen was also equally rich with some sesame and a thin layer of oil floating on top. However, paired with the toroniku, I found it a bit too rich and fatty for my liking. I thought W made a better choice in having the lighter tonkotsu with his toroniku.

It's definitely one of the pricier ramen shops in Vancouver but I would endure the long line-ups and double-digit prices just for the toroniku ramen.

Welcome!

Hello all! Welcome to Eating Around the 604, a place where I share my food experiences around the Greater Vancouver area (and occasionally out of town places too)! As the description in the upper right corner says, there will also be the odd random travel post as well.

If you have known about this blog in the past you may have noticed that all my old posts are gone. This is because after nearly 2 years of being on hiatus, I would like to start afresh with a new direction. I am not an expert foodie nor a seasoned food critique. From now on, all I would like to do is share my food experiences at the places I've been to and offer recommendations as a regular ol' person.

Please bear with me while I post, in the next few days, about recent places until I'm caught up.

Without further ado, let's get on with the eating!