Meat and Bread is a place I have wanted to try for a long time and each time I went it was either closed or I didn't have enough time to queue. Now I've finally tried it! On a Saturday afternoon there was a queue out the door (of course) but it moved along pretty quickly and we were even lucky enough to get a seat by the window.

Roast Lamb
The special that day was Roast Lamb with fennel chutney, romesco sauce, and shaved cabbage. On the side is quinoa salad. The lamb was tender and I liked the romesco sauce, a nut and red-pepper based sauce, which is surprising since I usually don't eat red pepper but I wasn't able to distinguish it from the sauce. The quinoa salad was refreshing with crunchy cubes of carrot and celery all dressed in a semi-sweet dressing.

Roast Lamb and Quinoa Salad

Porchetta
This is the famous sandwich and while watching them assemble it in the queue, I looked forward to the crackling of pork skin that they incorporated into the meat. However, when I was eating the sandwich there was barely any of the crunchy pork skin. I suppose there just isn't enough to share among all the sandwiches! The pork itself was juicy and the salsa verde added more flavour in addition to the rub that the pork is roasted with.

To be frank, I didn't really like the bun. It was dry and on the tough side though I suppose it is good for keeping in all the ingredients and soaking up juice. I repeatedly dipped the bun into the mustard not because the sandwich lacked flavour but because I wanted to moisten up the bun.

Porchetta

Take a look at that yummy roast and the attached pork skin! It's a great view while queuing because it rumbles up your appetite.

It was a lovely weekend afternoon when we went to Heirloom Vegetarian for brunch and was seated by the window with sun rays shining through. It definitely felt like spring time despite being February. My friend is vegetarian and luckily Vancouver offers many options including Heirloom Vegetarian.

The menu was decently big but not overwhelming. I chose a lunch instead of a breakfast option by opting for the Heirloom Grilled Cheese. I was a bit surprised that the grilled cheese came with different fillings, so it was more like a grilled sandwich with cheese.

Heirloom Grilled Cheese

Between the sourdough bread was aged cheddar cheese, grainy Dijon, tomato and arugula. On the side was a green salad thoroughly and sweetly dressed. The portion was pretty large and I found the meal very filling and satisfying as everything tasted fresh.

Service was friendly and they constantly refilled our water. The interior is bright and spacious with free WiFi. It is definitely a great place to catch up with friends or enjoy a solo brunch.

Heirloom Vegetarian interior

We arrived early for the 3:30pm high tea seating at Patisserie Fur Elise but were quickly seated. It is located in a Vancouver heritage home and the ambiance is clean and quaint. High tea seatings are two hours long and include tea, savouries and sweets.

I went with darjeeling for my choice of tea. It is a black tea that is slightly bitter with floral undertones. We were frequently asked if we wanted to refill hot water in our teapots which was great as I like my teas hot.

After the tea came the blueberry panna cotta adorned by a piece of gold foil. I enjoyed this cooling dessert with the creamy texture and sweet blueberries on top. 

Blueberry Panna Cotta

Next came the salad. Usually when people say "salad in a cup" they're alluding to green juice, the blended smoothies with green veggies. This is probably the smallest salad I have ever had but it looked so adorable in the tiny glass. The mixed greens were accompanied by candied walnut and a cherry tomato. I think I would have preferred this salad to be completely savoury (aka regular walnuts instead of candied) because the high tea portion contains many sweets.

Mixed greens with candied walnut

 This is our two-tiered high tea with savouries on the bottom and sweets on top.

There were four types of savoury items of which only three were sweet-free. Starting from the right in the square shape is the avocado and egg sandwich. It was a one, possibly two-biter between white bread without much taste.

Next to the egg sandwich is the prosciutto, brie, and basil croissant sandwich. I liked that the croissant was freshly baked, warm and flakey. This was my favourite of the savoury items as the salty prosciutto provided enough flavour and I personally love brie.

The salt and pepper shrimp with a piece of dill was underwhelming. The shrimp wasn't especially fresh and the bread underneath was slightly soggy, which is understandable but would feel more pleasant if the bread stayed dry.

The last savoury item is a scone with almond streusel served with strawberry confiture. It was also freshly baked and buttery but I enjoyed the strawberry confiture much more than the scone itself.

Right to left: Avocado and Egg Sandwich, Croissant Sandwich, Shrimp with dill, Scone with Almond Streusel

I enjoy desserts so I was looking forward to the sweets tier. To be honest, none of them wow-ed me. They weren't bad but there are many amazing patisseries in Vancouver to compete with. The sweets included a honey madeleine, a small lemon tart, a strawberry macaron, a cube of strawberry mousse cake, and a petite chocolate cup.

At the bottom level of Patisserie Fur Elise there were rows and rows of colourful macarons on display so I expected their macarons to be good. However, the shell was not crispy but soft and the inside lacked any chewiness.

Right to left: Lemon Tart, Honey Madeleine, Strawberry Mousse, Chocolate Cup, Strawberry Macaron

Overall, the ambiance and friendly service made the visit pleasant. It is a place to have good conversation with friends but not one where you find the best desserts in town.

Teahouse in Stanley Park is located by Third Beach with a gorgeous view over the water. We went for Dine Out 2015 dinner which was $28 with the option of upgrading to a $38 menu. Parking was free after 6pm.

Appetizers - Tuscan Salad with sherry vinaigrette and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. The salad was mediocre with a mix of greens and an overly sour dressing. The warm and creamy soup was the better choice of the two appetizers.

Tuscan Salad

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

 Mains - Almond Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Pan Seared Steelhead Salmon, 10 oz Prime New York Striploin

The pork tenderloin was accompanied by pan fried gnocchi, ratatouille and a garlic rosemary sauce. I liked that the meat retained some juiciness and wasn't overly dry and the gnocchi was great to soak up the sauce.

Almond Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

The salmon was a pleasant surprise as it was more delicious than I expected with the skin pan seared to crispiness. The roasted potatoes made it a heartier meal.

Pan Seared Steelhead Salmon

The 10 oz striploin was an upgrade to $38 from the $28 menu. The smokiness of the grill added great flavour to the meat. I thoroughly enjoyed the sides of fried onion rings and thin cut fries as well.

10 oz Prime New York Striploin

Desserts - Raspberry Sorbet and Blonde Brownie

The sorbet was creamy and fruity without all the seeds that come in raspberry frozen yogurt which is great!

Raspberry Sorbet

The Blonde Brownie actually contains no cocoa despite it's brownie name. It is made from butterscotch and drizzled with an orange marmalade.

Blonde Brownie

All in all, the ambiance of the restaurant is beautiful and service was quick and professional. I definitely recommend coming here for special occasions!

Double Baked Brie

Braised Beef Mac n Cheese

Fricassée Champignon

White Chocolate Pistachio Rose Water Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

Waffle with orange marmalade

Tahitian Tuna Salad

Carpaccio of Beef

French Onion Soup

Grilled Lamb Loin

Salmon

Cheesecake with raspberry sorbet

Orange soufflé

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.