by gigi on September 1, 2010
When Jenkins and I heard that the Re-Up BBQ street cart was stationed near the Vancouver Art Gallery, we decided to give it a try one weekend. Stationed in the courtyard right next to the Olympic countdown clock, it was located in a pretty sweet spot and could be seen by all the foot traffic that went past that location. Even though it was a sunny day and during the prime lunch hour on a weekend, there was only one person in front of us so we did not have to wait long to order.
Re-Up BBQ keeps things short and simple. Along with a few drinks on their menu, the star of the show is their pulled pork sandwiches. Nestled between a fresh bun from Calabria Bakery, the pulled pork is super tender, yet juicy and packed full of flavour. There was a generous dollop of BBQ sauce that provided a hint of tanginess and sweetness but did not drench the meat. There was also just enough freshly made, crunchy coleslaw on top that provided the requisite crunch.
As you can see from the pictures, there is quite a generous amount of pork in the sandwich. Because the bun was not toasted, it soaked up all the delicious juices from the pork and sauce so everything came together in a delicious fashion. 
For our drink, Jenkins and I decided to sample some of Re-Up BBQ’s homemade watermelon soda. The watermelon flavour was light but still very refreshing and there was a hint of carbonation from either the club soda or sparkling water that was used.
Jenkins noted that because we weren’t super hungry that day, the pulled pork sandwich was filling enough for him but he wasn’t sure if he would need something to supplement his lunch if he had been hungrier. I found it to be a good size for lunch…and also provided me with the opportunity to add a small snack later in the day. The sandwiches at Re-Up BBQ are one of the best I’ve had in Vancouver and is definitely something for you to check out. They told me they are open at 11:30AM on weekdays, 12PM on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays.
Details:
700 Hornby Street, Vancouver (by the fountain at the Art Gallery)
Tel: 604-724-0894
Summary:
Food: 
Service: n/a
Price: $
by gigi on August 23, 2010
One of my stand bys when I’m not sure where to eat is usually a Hong Kong-style cafe. I grew up eating at such places so the food is quite familiar to me and it also doesn’t hurt that the prices are generally quite reasonable. I was first introduced to Cafe Gloucester several years ago and I remember it was my first experience with the HK cafe classic, the baked pork chop with rice. When Louis suggested one day that we venture out of downtown for lunch, we decided we should make the short jaunt to Cafe Gloucester.
We were lucky to be seated pretty quickly because Cafe Gloucester is pretty popular and is usually quite packed. I quickly settled on the baked pork chop with rice because it had been quite a while since I last had it. Looking at the picture below, you’ll see that it’s not the healthiest dish. The pork chop is battered and fried (kind of like a tonkatsu) before being nestled on top of some fried rice, topped with a sweet tomato sauce, and baked in the oven with a sprinkling of cheese. It’s definitely a rich dish and is probably not for the faint of heart. I ended up eating only half of this dish and packed the rest away for lunch the next day.
Like many dishes at Cafe Gloucester, my order came with a hot drink of my choice. I decided to go with the hot almond milk, since it was a chilly day. Unlike some places, the almond milk had a nice flavour and was not watered down. Still, it was likely made from a powdered drink mix.
Louis wasn’t too hungry that day so he decided to have a Portuguese chicken sandwich. The sandwich was a bit smaller than he expected. The chicken itself was only lightly seasoned and came with some lettuce and tomatos. Flavourwise, Louis wasn’t sure what made it Portuguese and said it was your run of the mill grilled chicken sandwich. He also noted that the fries were a bit boring and did not seem very crispy.
As expected with such places, service was brief but fairly efficient. I generally stick to the Chinese classics or baked items as that is generally what HK cafes are good at making. I’ve never ventured to try their sandwiches but I wasn’t surprised at the lacklustre nature of Louis’ Portuguese sandwich. In general, portion sizes are quite generous and unless you’re very hungry, you’ll likely be able to pack some to take home with you.
Details:
3338 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-873-3338
Summary:
Food:
Service: 
Price: $
by gigi on August 17, 2010
Tomorrow is White Spot’s annual Pirate Pak Day. As with most people when they were younger, Pirate Paks were the thing to order when you were at White Spot. I was quite sad the day I turned 11 because that meant I was no longer eligible to order the Pirate Pak! Don’t tell the authorities but I admit that even after I was past the allowable age, I tried my best to continue ordering the Pirate Pak well after I had turned 10. Whether or not I was successful in my attempts though…well, that is another story.
White Spot contacted me to let me know that this Wednesday August 18 is White Spot’s annual Pirate Pak Day. To celebrate this great occasion, White Spot sent me and Jenkins a gift certificate to take advantage of White Spot’s one-day only adult Pirate Paks. For tomorrow only, $2 from every Pirate Pak ordered will be donated to the Zajac Ranch for Children. The Zajac Ranch is dedicated to bringing summer camps to children with serious medical conditions.
Jenkins and I know where we’ll be having our dinner tomorrow. Hope you are able to make it out to White Spot tomorrow to partake in the adult Pirate Paks and to support a great cause!
by gigi on August 15, 2010
One thing that I always lamented about downtown was the lack of bubble tea and casual Asian eats available. I was used to my old stomping grounds in Richmond where there were a multitude of options available to me if I wanted to have bubble tea or go for some Hong Kong-style cafes or Taiwanese food. With several options opening up along Cambie Street, including, Corner 23 and Copa Cafe, there were some places close by but downtown options were still a bit lacking. Louis told me one day about the new Well Tea location opening up on Dunsmuir and Seymour so we knew we had to give it a try.
My first trip to Well Tea was actually with Tarri. We had been wanting to meet up for lunch for a while and when I told her that Well Tea had bubble tea, we decided that it was the place for us to meet up. I decided to order the Taiwanese sausage with rice set meal. It was actually pretty standard…the sausage itself was a little bland tasting and it was also a bit smaller than the servings I’ve had at other places.
The veggies that came with my meal were also a bit bland. The celery and cabbage tasted pretty similar (top and middle) and the potato salad had too much mayo for my taste.
I decided to go all out and ordered some bubble tea as well. Actually, I ordered milk tea with no pearls, so technically, I suppose it wasn’t bubble tea. One thing I like about the milk teas at Well Tea was that they give you the option of choosing how much sugar you want in your drink. I usually go with 25% sugar because I find bubble tea is normally too sweet.
About a week later, I went back with Jenkins for a quick bite to eat before going to the movies. I decided to have a hot pot item this time and chose the lemongrass chicken hot pot. I expected this to have a lot of chicken, but it was actually more of a cabbage hot pot with some chicken and fish balls. I also found the lemon flavour stronger than I would have liked, and I think it was because slices of lemon were also added. With so much cabbage added to the hot pot, this turned out to be a very filling dish but not really my cup of tea.
Jenkins decided to go with one of his favourites, the three-cup chicken. This was a pretty well made version of a Taiwanese classic. Unlike some other three-cup chicken dishes that we’ve had, spring onions were also added, which gave the dish a slightly different spin. The pieces of chicken were also pretty meaty and Jenkins noted that he was quite full afterwards.
I’ve been to Well Tea quite a few times now and although there seems to be a lack of consistency with their dishes, they are generally executed quite well. Service also seems to be a bit spotty at times but I think it’s due to the fact that they’re still trying to iron out the kinks. All in all, it’s not a bad option to check out if you’re ever in the mood for some bubble tea of Taiwanese food in the downtown core.
Details:
551 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-681-9777
Summary:
Food:
Service:
Price: $$
{new post} Review: Re-Up BBQ Street Cart - 
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