Durian Creme Brulee

Apple Fritter Donut

Ox Tongue Tomato Baked Rice

Braised Beef Mac n Cheese

Cheesecake

Fricassée Champignon

White Chocolate Pistachio Rose Water Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

Waffle with orange marmalade

Whiskey Hazelnut

Tahitian Tuna Salad

Date bar and hot chocolate

Interior of Bean Brothers Cafe

Matcha latte

Assorted baked goods

Tuna tataki set lunch with broccoli soup

Carpaccio of Beef

French Onion Soup

Grilled Lamb Loin

Salmon

Cheesecake with raspberry sorbet

Orange soufflé

Earl grey tea

Apricot bar

Interior of Doughgirls

There's no shortage of restaurants with happy hour in Gastown and tonight we visited The Flying Pig. They offer happy hour 4-6pm with appetizers $5-6 each and specified drinks at $4.

We arrived around 5:15pm before the rush. The bar and its surrounding floor tables were full by 5:30pm. I had heard great things about The Flying Pig and this inaugural meal confirmed those reviews!

We ordered five appetizers to share and they were all delicious.

Truffle Mac n' Cheese ($5): This Mac n' Cheese was a great blend of buttery, cheesey goodness. It was the most filling appie on the menu that night. Each shell was thoroughly coated and fragrant.

Truffle Mac n' Cheese

Short Rib Croquettes ($5): These deep fried croquettes oozed a warm blend of potato and fine short ribs. The meat was so finely shredded that you probably won't notice it much. If you're looking for meat this probably won't satisfy you but if you want to eat some serious, deep fried comfort food then give it a go!

Short Rib Croquettes

Steamed Clams ($6): Clams are perfect for sharing. They lay in a pool of broth that was too salty for drinking but contained all the seafood-fresh taste of the clams. Piled on top are fried potato sticks (think Hickory Sticks!) The sticks themselves were delicious and seasoned heavily with salt.

Steamed Clams

Beef Carpaccio ($6): I've tried beef carpaccio from Ebisu, Hapa Izakaya, Phnom Penh, and Joe Fortes. The Flying Pig one is my favourite so far. Thinly sliced raw beef were topped with arugula, crispy capers, parmesan cheese, and dressing. The toppings didn't overwhelm the freshness of the beef which was very tender. I especially liked the contrast of the crispy capers to the tenderness of the beef.

Beef Carpaccio

Smoked Salmon Salad ($5): Greens and cucumber slices tossed in olive oil were topped with slices and chunks of smoked salmon. A large dollop of sour cream added extra creaminess. This salad is not a must order but if you'd like some greens during happy hour then it's not a bad option.

Smoked Salmon Salad

The Flying Pig interior

Overall I had a great meal at The Flying Pig. Service was on point from the time we entered the door. Food came relatively quickly, our water was constantly filled and seating was comfortable. I'm looking forward to trying their main courses another time.

Memory Corner is situated across the street from the Richmond City Hall which should be a good location but it offers few parking spots. On a weekday afternoon there were spots in the parking lot behind the restaurant but several restaurants share the complex so the small lot will probably fill up quickly.

We were just looking for a snack and not a full meal so we ordered two appetizers. 

Chocolate thick toast: A generous coating of Nutella and chopped hazelnuts covered the thick toast. I liked the softness of the bread with the creaminess of the Nutella. This is great for sharing but a fair warning that it can get a little messy with the nuts falling everywhere!

Chocolate thick toast

Basil egg roll: Egg rolls were one of my favourite breakfast items when I was in Taiwan. I tried egg rolls at other Taiwanese restaurants in Vancouver but they disappointed. This one at Memory Corner came pretty close to the taste I was looking for! It's similar to green onion pancakes but with basil instead of green onion. It is then wrapped around a thin layer of fried egg, rolled up, cut and served. I wish they served a version with pork floss!

Basil egg roll

Memory Corner interior

Overall, I'd want to try actual meals and the bubble tea at Memory Corner but the two appetizers I tried were both good.

**UPDATE Nov 1, 2014**

I went back to Memory Corner to try the toast box. I called a day ahead of time to order it like they mentioned the first time I was at the restaurant. Turns out it made no difference because it still took a long time for them to prepare the toast box. Although the wait time was long, it was delicious!

There was an abundance of fruits, chocolate and ice cream. Inside the toast box, each strip of bread was coated in Nutella and chopped hazelnut. A lot of work was involved, that's why it took so long. Although I like Nutella, there was just a bit too much inside this toast box. It's still worth a try though!

Fruit Toast Box

Interior of toast box

When I went to Red Wagon Cafe, we passed by Yolk's. Previously I didn't know that they had a restaurant in addition to a food truck, so when we were in the area again today I suggested we go try it.

We arrived at 11:15am on the weekend and were not seated until 12:00pm. We ordered our food quickly since we had so much time to decide what we wanted. We ordered Belgian waffles and the Fraser Valley Duck Confit.

The Belgian waffles came with four quarter slices, so essentially one round waffle, and two English bangers with mustard. I liked the bangers because it wasn't too oily and paired nicely with the mustard that included mustard seeds. The waffle was soft and did not embody any crunchiness which is something I look for in Belgian waffles. The texture and sweet batter reminded me more of pancakes than waffles. I probably would not order this again.

Belgian Waffles ($9.75)

The Fraser Valley Duck Confit consisted of a free-range poached egg, housemade marmalade, spinach, hollandaise, two pieces of English muffin and crispy duck. I liked this much better than the waffles. The egg was perfectly poached and oozed yolk onto the well-toasted English muffin piece. The buttery hollandaise mixed with the sweet marmalade worked nicely against the crispy duck. I especially liked when I got a piece of crispy duck skin.

Fraser Valley Duck Confit ($11.75 for one egg, $16.75 for two eggs)

However during the time we were dining, there were always quite a few tables empty. Yolk's seemed to be adequately staffed and there was a continuous crowd waiting outside. From the perspective of a diner it can be frustrating to wait for so long when you can clearly see empty tables inside the restaurant. Perhaps a change in practise can help increase the restaurant's efficiency so diners won't be deterred from coming back due to the long wait.

Interior of Yolk's

Exterior of Yolk's

Service was not especially attentive and the tables were slightly sticky. Hot water cost $1. Overall there are many excellent brunch options in Vancouver that have an advantage in location, pricing, and wait time over Yolk's.