By Tana Kosiyabong
It was the night before Christmas eve. While many shoppers still scrambled for last-minute gifts, I had no shopping left to do. So I headed to Chambar, a fancy Belgian restaurant in downtown Vancouver, to celebrate the holiday spirit. Don’t worry. I wasn’t out of my mind. I knew exactly what I was doing.
Normally Chambar was way out of my reach in terms of price. However, [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Winter had arrived and I hated it. I didn’t know about others, but I’d rather stay warm and dry in my office than run out in the cold rain to grab some lunch. However, I could only endure so much of ramen noodles, frozen dinners and leftovers at work. I desperately needed better lunch solutions. Fortunately, I have found one in the office’s microwave oven! [...]
The year 2010 is just around the corner. Still I can’t make up my mind on the next year budget. So, I shamelessly decided to pass this hot potato onto you. Please vote on our Cheap Appetite 2010 food budget today. Pretty please.
I have three plans to propose. The budget you choose will dictate the kind of restaurants, recipes and/or perhaps food products I will write about next year. Please make sure you understand what each plan entails before you vote.
Plan A: $300/year (Live like Scrooge). This plan allows $5 budget on most weeks and $10 budget on eight weeks or so. This means I will generally write about really cheap food, fast food and perhaps groceries food products that fit the bill. No fancy stuffs.
Plan B: $350/year (Live a Little). This plan allows me to mix up between $5 and $10 budget. It will be more or less like what I’ve done this year. A nice mix of cheap and affordable meals. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
“Holy crap! It’s almost eleven,” I cried as I jumped out of bed in panic. I had a Cheap Appetite mission to tackle today. The plan was to survive a whole day at the Vancouver Public Library with only $10 food budget. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I sure loved the challenge. Unfortunately, by the time I had made it to the library, it was already noon. I had missed the breakfast altogether. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
When I was young, authentic Western food in Thailand was hard to find. Nonetheless, some Chinese and Thai restaurants had concocted their own version of Western dishes. Most cooks/chefs had little or no training in European cuisine. They were forced to cook with locally available ingredients. Few people had ever heard of either extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I love meat. It’s a staple in my diet as far as I could remember. Veggies, however, aren’t always my buddies. As a kid, I was a picky eater. I had all the patience in the world to pick out even the tiny pieces of veggies on the plate. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), my perseverance had diminished [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I have had a hard time classifying Dae-Ji. It is definitely Korean by name. However, most dishes are either Japanese or Western inspired. Only few dishes, like Kimchi fried rice, are traditional Korean cuisine. Dae-Ji is pretty much like a teenager suffering from an identity crisis. Because of this, the restaurant is rarely on the top [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Canada will become an even perkier country in the next two weeks, thanks to McDonald’s Canada free coffee promotion. Starting November 16th to 29th, during breakfast hours only, your neighborhood Mickey D’s will transform into coffee drinkers’ [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I had promised to write about Numero Uno Pizza and their nemesis, Megabite Pizza, since I reviewed Goldies Rustic Pizza a few months back. But I got side tracked by other story ideas that keep popping up in my head like mushrooms in late fall. With no further a due, this week Cheap Appetite mission will take care of this unfinished business. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
It’s fair to say that Asian food is my favorite. However, every once in a while, I’ll crave hearty, North American dishes. But my western food palette is quite primitive compared to the eastern one. I enjoy simple, bold flavors in home-cooked meals rather than anything delicate, dainty, and, okay I’m going to say it, bland. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
After finishing a wallet friendly breakfast at Yummy Sushi, I still wanted to hang out in the neighborhood. So I strolled toward Granville Island and spent my lazy afternoon there. Even with the cold breeze, it was a beautiful day. After a short walk around, I went straight to the Granville Island Public Market for some fresh produce and ended up sitting at one of the window seats on the north side watching the water traffic [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I first heard about Yummy Sushi when I posted my Bon’s off Broadway breakfast link on the Chowhound.com forum a while back. Grayelf, a fellow food lover, had suggested Yummy Sushi as an alternative to Bon’s. I jotted down the name in my notebook along with many other suggestions for cheap breakfast joints in Vancouver. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had a chance to check any of them out yet. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Canadian Thanksgiving always catches me off-guard. This year was no different. I totally forgot about it until last week. Once I found out, I started to panic. I had no clue where I could review a Thanksgiving turkey dinner under $5. I don’t know how to roast a turkey or bake a pumpkin pie either. “Oh boy! What am I gonna do?,” I murmured repeatedly. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
It was the lunch hour on a cold and rainy afternoon. My stomach was growling. I was desperately searching through my drawers and locker for any sign of edible items so that I could stay inside. Unfortunately, I got nothing to fill my empty stomach. It was do or die time. I must defy the spine chilling rain to grab something to eat. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Last Sunday, I went to the Gastown Blues & Chili 2009. Twenty restaurants in the neighborhood were competing for bragging rights that come with having the best Chili in Gastown. The event was held from noon to 7 pm at the 200 block of Abbot Street as a fundraising event for the Girls Rock Camp Vancouver. Though I’m not sure why they played Blues to raise money for the rock camp, [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
At first, I hadn’t planned on writing this week Cheap Appetite mission as another comparison review. It was supposed to be a review of Cambie Bakery & Café cinnamon rolls and their turkey club sandwich. But the idea came to me earlier today when I was [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
My love for Mexican food started in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was the combination of cheap prices and great tastes that had won me over. The most delicious fish burrito from D’ Leons was priced less than $5. Or an awesome “Big Nacho” chicken at Oso was $6.50 with a free drink on a certain day of the week. They are so good, I still miss them to this day. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I had my eyes on Donburiya, a new Japanese restaurant on Robson Street, since they were still under construction. That’s why I wanted to stop by for lunch on its Grand Opening day. However, Xiao, my coworker with whom I had made the lunch plan, couldn’t make it. She asked if we could postpone the visit until the next day. I reluctantly agreed to her request, but, in the back of my mind, I still [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
This week, I would like to introduce a new section called Cheap Appétit Recipes. It will be a gathering place for my cheap, easy recipes and cooking shortcuts. I hope you’ll find them useful and will eventually try them [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
“Today is a Big Day,” I told myself as I woke up. Though it was not easy to dig myself out of bed at 8 am on Saturday, somehow I did it. As usual, it took me about an hour to get ready and walk out the door. Two buses and an hour later, I found myself at Ikea Richmond. Today, I’ll spend all day eating away 3 meals here and try my best not to buy any more furniture or decorating knick-knacks. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I’m not a morning person. And I normally don’t have time for breakfast. I just drink a glass of milk or soymilk and run out the door. On the weekends, I wake up around 10 am to let my pet parrotlet “Giant” out of his cage for a couple of hours or until he gets on my nerves. It takes me at least an hour to collect myself and be more social. I prefer not to [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Some of you may wonder why the word “Cheap” and “Starbucks” appear right next to each other in the same sentence. Normally these two words don’t commingle, as if “Cheap” has a court’s restraining order against Starbucks, who’s not allowed to come within a hundred feet. Or maybe it’s vice versa. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I was born and raised in Thailand, so I’m well aware of the authenticity of Thai cuisine. More often than not, Thai food in North America tastes remotely like the authentic siblings. Sometimes I don’t even recognize them, especially those frozen dinners at the grocery stores. Thai chicken this. Thai noodle that. I had tried [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Last Saturday, I went to an annual event in Vancouver called “The Taste of the City.” The event was held at the PNE Fairgrounds, which meant I had to catch the bus at the stop across the street from the infamous Pigeon Park, where the junkies like to hang out. On my way to the bus stop, a woman threw up about 5 feet from me and walked away like nothing had happened. As she disappeared, [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
If anyone had offered me free food a couple of weeks ago, I would have jumped all over it. Whenever I get free food, I always feel like I’ve won a small lottery prize. And, for some weird reason, the free ones usually taste better than the one I buy for myself. My friends and colleagues know about my soft spot. Some had used this weakness to manipulate me. Others might claim that I was the one who did so. Regardless of who was doing the manipulating, free food [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
The five hundred block of West Pender Street is famously known for its densely populated pizza-by-slice joints in downtown Vancouver. Four joints, in total, are opened within this same block. The popularity of these pizza joints has recently spread into the six hundred block where the newcomer, Goldies Rustic Pizza, is located. This newcomer is unique compared to the [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
About a month ago I received a coupon from Starbucks offering a free Iced Coffee. Of all the coupons I’ve ever used, Starbucks coupons are my favorites. The offers are always generous with no strings attached. Even though I’m normally not a big fan of coupons, Starbucks’ are one of the exceptions. Whenever their new coupons come out, I try to get as many as I can. It’s as simple as picking through the [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
When I first saw the promo sign – $2.99 Shrimp Wonton Noodle Special – at the International Village, I did a double take (actually triple). It sounds like a great case of the Cheap Appetite. So, I walked into the East Fusion Food and ordered myself a hot bowl of shrimp wonton noodle soup, and a veggie spring roll. Fifteen minutes later, [...]
