Luke’s Corner Bar & Grill

If you stick to pub fare you likely wont be disappointed at Luke’s Corner Bar and Grill. Prices are what you would expect for the neighborhood, but weekly specials will keep your wallet happy. Service and food have been inconsistent overall, yet I continue to  find myself coming back again in the hopes that maybe this time, everything will be perfect.

The Fried Pickles and Peppers are my favourite item at Luke’s. They used to have a $5 Anytime menu with these on it, sadly that menu is no more. Still, at $5.99 the P & P are the perfect share item, spicy and sour with the right amount of kick to it.

The Veggie Burger is a fantastic value at $13.99. The hearty black bean and quinoa patty was accompanied by wild mushrooms, arugula, tomato, and aged white cheddar on a whole wheat bun. Bring your appetite, this burger is filling.

The Salt Spring Island Mussels in a chorizo, garlic, and white wine sauce didn’t wow me. The menu was misleading, it didn’t indicate the sauce was cream based (not a bad thing, but on a hot summer day it wasn’t what I wanted). The chorizo was too tough for my tastes, so overall this dish was a bit heavy.With the garlic filon bread it’s $15.99, add fries for an additional $3 if you want an overpriced meal.

Avoid the Ahi Tuna Poke.

When done right, this dish can be sensational. Although the tuna and avocado were fresh, I wasn’t a fan of the almonds or fruit salad so for me this missed the mark. It didn’t help that the wonton crisps were inedible, sharp and utterly tasteless (possibly undercooked?) The server was kind enough to bring out crostinis when she finally got around to doing a quality check, by then I was already let down.

On a brighter note, the drinks at Luke’s have been consistently great. On Sundays, caesars and mimosas are $5, can’t go wrong with that! We once ordered their wings to-go and were quiet pleased with them. 

Brunching it at Caffe Barney

Mm, mm, brunch, my favourite weekend past time.

Last Sunday we decided to try out Caffe Barney, a small South Granville restaurant with a big reputation for their eggs benedict. at 11:45 we didn’t have to wait for a table, however I have seen line-ups outside the restaurant before. The atmosphere was casual; service staff were a bit hard to pick out, as there was no uniforms or name tags. Our server was friendly at first, but I think he got peeved after I changed my order (sorry dude!), and he didn’t return to our table to quality control, only to drop off the bill. Luckily for him, everything was delicious, and the couple sitting beside us shared their hot sauce and ketchup with us.

Obviously I had to see what was what and put in my two-cents so I ordered the chorizo benedict. It  came smothered in a delicious hollandaise over two perfect poached eggs and a fabulous tomato salsa. Oh, and a whole wheat English muffin. My only complaint would be there was not enough salsa or hollandaise! I’m a saucy girl, what can I say.

Phil, the egg-hater, got the cranberry turkey sandwich with a side of fries. They certainly didn’t skimp on the fries, although there wasn’t a lot of potatoes on my benny ( maybe our server was still mad about the switch? Or maybe i’m just a greedy little girl with eyes too big for her own stomach). The fries were light and crispy, although Phil particularly liked the cranberry sauce in his sandwich because it didn’t taste “artificial or canned.” 

We also ordered two glasses of orange juice. Fresh tasting with lots of pulp, these drinks were 4 bucks each. All in, we spent about $35. I would go back because I want to try more bennys!

24/7 Thai Cuisine. . . When you need Thai Food at 4am

24/7 Thai Cuisine is exactly what you expect its going to be: inexpensive Thai food at any hour of the day or night. There is no glamour to this restaurant, just simple cheap food served hot and fast. I was skeptical to eat here because it looks a little run down from the outside. You can find 24/7 Thai Cuisine on Broadway and Oak, sandwiched between the 7/11 and a japanese restaurant that never looks like it’s open. Dont let the looks of the place deceive you – they have a big menu with your classic Thai staples, as well as some items you wouldn’t expect to see, such as pho.

The restaurant doesn’t offer much in the way of decor so we got our food to go. As we were the only customers at 10:30 pm, our food was prepared quickly.

The fried vegetarian spring roll didn’t wow us, I don’t think I would order these again. It was really garlicky, a flavour I didn’t expect to be so prominent in a spring roll. The dipping sauce was too vinegary for my tastes, but Phil liked it.

I ordered the Shrimp Pad Thai. Decent portion size as you can see, although I should have asked them to make it spicy! 

The dish used a thinner rice noodle than other places, a change that was different but still enjoyable. The seasoning was good, it wasn’t too sweet and the prawns were cooked perfectly. I didn’t expect it to be the best Pad Thai, but I wasn’t disappointed by it either. If you’ve got a late night craving for Thai food give it a shot, I think this food would be most enjoyed after a night out drinking. They also deliver from 4pm-10pm with a $25 minimum order. If you want to dine in there is an entertainment coupon for them as well.

Heaven on the Half Shell: Chewies Steam and Oyster Bar

Just a quick peek at the amazing kusshi oysters we enjoyed at Chewies tonight, an evening well spent! Delicious food, good company, and a beautiful sendoff for our jet-setting friend, bon voyage Renée! 

Lucy’s Eastside Diner

Lucy’s Eastside Diner is a 24 hour restaurant serving up 1950′s inspired diner dishes. The place is cute and definitely a fun experience day or night, however it’s very hit or miss. Some of our meals came out spot on while others were blah to downright bad. I gave Lucy’s 3 generous stars out of 5.

*** Upon revisiting Lucy’s months later, I  beg people not to get their hopes up. It looks like a great dive, but unfortunately the food is  bland, bland, bland and overpriced. I revoke my “generous 3 stars” and demote Lucy’s to a 2 out of 5 ****

First we went for brunch. FYI,  Lucy’s  serves breakfast all day and night.

Pulled Pork Eggs Benny

The Pulled Pork Benny was dense and delicious. I hate to leave food on my plate but this Benny got the best of me. After eating one I was stuffed. What I liked best was the  hollandaise sauce, it was tangy and tasted home-made. After just having tried the Pulled Pork at the Five Point, I had high expectations. The dish as a whole was good but the pulled pork on it’s own was boring, dry and had no sauce! I remedied it by adding ketchup and a bit of hollandaise and egg… still, I want my food perfect when it arrives.

Fried Chicken Sandwich

The Fried Chicken Sandwich was a hit with my comrade: the chicken was moist, the bread fresh and the hash browns were the best we’d had in a while. Perfect golden brown, lightly seasoned, and not dried out inside.

I stopped by at 11pm for a late dinner: the classic Cheeseburger and Fries.

Shoestring french fries were greasy and nothing to brag about. The hamburger however was delicious, it was like a backyard bbq hamburger, nothing fancy just a good burger. Not the best pic but you get the point.

** When I returned to Lucy’s I ordered a Cheeseburger with bacon. The bacon was so overcook it actually cut my mouth – I hate when restaurants cook the S*&# out of bacon, leaving it hard to chew and tasteless. The meat was not seasoned either. The “Fry Sauce” is so bland you need to eat a whole mouth full to get any flavour, very disappointing. Again, Lucy’s is very HIT OR MISS**

We also tried the Pulled Pork Mac’N Cheese sandwich, sounds great on paper but was a real disappointment.

First and foremost, it looks disgusting. I could justify eating all those carbs if the macaroni was cheesy and flavourful however it was beyond bland, the bun was lame-old-white bread ( and very chewy), and the pulled pork was dry and tasteless. I do not recommend this dish, to anyone, ever.

The Winner Winner Chicken Dinner also sounded great on the menu and was visually very appetizing however, its looks were deceiving.

Not so Winner Chicken Dinner

The problem was the veggies tasted frozen, and the mashed potatoes lacked that quintessential thick creamy warm mashed potatoey goodness. I didn’t like the seasoning on the potatoes at all, it tasted watered down. The chicken was moist on the inside however the outside overdone. The gravy was O.K.

Stumble into Lucy’s on your way home from the bar for a late night snack or for a milk shake on a hot afternoon but don’t expect too much.

Lucy’s Eastside Diner
2708 Main Street, East Vancouver B.C.
Phone (604) 568 1550
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Restaurant Shout-Out: L’Abattoir

Located in fancy-shmancy Gastown, L’Abattoir is by far one of the cooler places I’ve been since leaving the always trendy Montreal social scene.

Gorgeous interior inspired by modern and rustic design concepts, mason jar lighting and long corridors with open wine cellars are only a few of the gems you will encounter here.

Their posh menu looked amazing ( I gawked as food went out from the kitchen ) but I can guarantee that their drinks are as delicious as they are unique. My favourite was the El Camino (not pictured) and consisted of watermelon infused tequila, aperol, fresh lime, agave nectar, grapefruit pop, and a salt rim. Ya, it was that amazing.

We also tried these drinks, the Meat Hook and Clover Club Refashioned

L’Abattoir website: http://www.labattoir.ca/index.html