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!

Miku is centrally located at Waterfront and boasts a great view of the Vancouver Harbour. We went to try the Dine Out 2015 lunch menu ($28) at Miku and it definitely lived up to the amazing reviews online.

Appetizer - from right to left: king crab salad, aburi albacore tuna, ebi fritter, braised beef shank

Although the salad was simple, it was one of my favourites of the four because it was fresh and lightly dressed.

King crab salad

The pieces of aburi albacore tuna cleansed the palate for the next flavourful appetizer.

Aburi albacore tuna

The ebi fritter is fried in a beer batter mixed with what seems like nori (seaweed) sprinkles. The sauce reminds me of chipotle mayo with a hint of curry. The shrimp was fresh and bouncy and the fritter in general did not feel greasy at all. Delicious!

Ebi fritter

The beef shank is probably the most substantial part of this meal that will help fill you up. The well-marinated beef was tender and rested on a scoop of mashed potato that could have been more fluffy.

Braised beef shank

Main course - the main course is a mix of aburi, nigiri and oshi sushi. This is my first time eating aburi sushi and I can definitely see why people like it so much! The hint of fire adds a subtle smokiness. Each piece is already flavoured so there is no need to dip in soy sauce.

Main course

Dessert - mango sorbet with frozen berries and a lemon coconut cookie. The mango sorbet was slightly tarte and quite creamy but not anything you can't find in places that make sorbet and gelato.

Mango sorbet

All in all, we had an excellent dining experience with a great view and friendly service. We arrived at 11:50am for our 12:00pm booking and was lucky enough to get a window seat. The restaurant filled up in the next 10 minutes! So if you want a good seat, arrive early.

Apple Fritter Donut

Fricassée Champignon

White Chocolate Pistachio Rose Water Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

Waffle with orange marmalade

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.

Enjoying brunch is supposed to be leisurely and the atmosphere at Catch 122 Cafe & Bistro captures that with its spacious floor and wooden tables. The service was friendly and the food was delicious just like all the positive reviews I read online.

The Dirty Breakfast: Bit of a funny name for a brunch meal but it caught my attention and it made my taste buds happy. It included duck fat toast, duck confit, sunny-side up eggs, house-made maple beans, and yukon nugget potato hash. The potatoes were crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside and I really enjoyed it compared to chopped potato wedges. The duck fat toast with duck confit on top was savoury with the toast absorbing the flavours. The only thing I didn't like was that the maple beans were too sweet for my liking. Albeit it is made with maple but the sweet taste stood out too much amongst the rest of the savoury foods.

The Dirty Breakfast ($12)

Braised Short Ribs Eggs Benedict: The hollandaise sauce is probably the highlight of this eggs benedict. It was the most buttery, smooth and aromatic hollandaise that I've tried in awhile. This dish included braised short ribs, poached eggs on english muffin and yukon nugget potato hash. Only one poached egg was successful as the other had a fully cooked yolk. That aside, everything on the plate was delicious.

Braised Short Ribs Eggs Benedict ($12)

Overall Catch 122 is a great place to dine with friendly service, comfortable seating, and delicious food. Plus the brunch portions are large enough to fill you up right through lunch.