By Tana Kosiyabong
If you live around the International Village, you’d probably notice a pizzeria war on the 600 block of Abbot street. Fresh Slice and Uncle Fatih’s are duking it out to rule the block. Who knows how long the fight will go on. But as a cheap appetiter, I’m quite happy to take advantage of their rivalry. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I was working with my friend Grant a couple of weeks ago on a freelance project at a coffee shop near Tinseltown. Around lunch time, he told me that I should check out Costco Food Court for the next Cheap Appetite mission. I was hesitated at first because I thought it was for Costco member only. I’d rather not write about the place where only a few readers can check it out. To my surprise, Grant assured me that everyone can dine there.
So we walked down the Abbott Street and turned right onto the Expo Boulevard. Costco Food Court is located just across the street from the Rogers Arena where the Vancouver Canucks play. There was already a long line of patrons when we arrived. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Last weekend, I went out for brunch with my friend, Peter. He wanted to check out a restaurant called the Red Wagon which received a rave review from the Globe and Mail. Unfortunately, Peter wasn’t the only one who had read the article. There were a bunch of patrons waiting to be seated when we reached the restaurant. Neither of us want to waste at least half an hour just to get a table. So I told Peter to drive a few block north and turn left onto Powell Street where I remembered seeing a couple of cheap breakfast joints before. And sure enough, they were there.
Luckily, we got a rockstar parking spot right in front of the restaurant called J’s Grill and Pasta. So we walked right in and didn’t even bother checking out the other breakfast joint located a block away. I felt like I was transported back into the 70s. The décor was outdated. The floor was covered with hunter green carpet. But thanks to the big windows in the front and the back, the shabby joint didn’t look dingy. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Every once in a while, I become mindful about what I eat. But this health-conscious stage comes and goes so fast like tornados. Earlier this week, another healthy twister has hit me again after several months in hibernation. Fortunately, I know a few restaurants nearby that suit my need. For this week Cheap Appetite mission, I decided to go on a Cheap Appetite mission at “Something Healthy Wholesome Meals & Juice Bar.” Oh my, that’s mouthful name!
I bet you can guess that Something Healthy sells healthy, wholesome dishes and drinks. To be honest, it wasn’t appeal to me when I first found the restaurant a few weeks ago. But now that I’ve been in the health-conscious mode, it suddenly becomes more interesting. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Inspired by last week’s result, I decided to explore other walking routes between my condo and the office. And lucky was on my side once again. Earlier this week, I stumbled upon another cafe/restaurant called Cafe Des Arts on my way home. The menu on the front exterior looked very promising. Most of the daily special menu items were under $7. The Bò Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew – No. 9 on the menu) had caught my eyes. It sounded so intriguing I wish I could declare the Cheap Appetite Mission right then and there. Unfortunately, the restaurant has already closed at 5pm. So I made a mental note to come back tomorrow for lunch.
The next morning, I was eager to start a new Cheap Appetite mission at Cafe Des Arts. On my lunch break, I headed to Cafe Des Arts situated on the edge of Yaletown, less than 10-minute walk from my office. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I was fortunate enough to freelance with the same company in Yaletown again. It was really great working with these friendly colleagues. We all get along really well. While I was working there, I noticed many of them carrying tin foil wrapped sandwiches back into the office during lunch hours. Every time I asked they all told me about the “Schnitzel Place” down the block. But somehow I couldn’t manage to find it.
After two weeks of watching people carrying around the mysterious sandwiches, I was extremely curious to find out exactly where it was. So I asked Allen, one of my friendly coworker/supervisor, because I saw him eating one of the sandwiches the day before. He told me the place was actually called “Euro Pastry House.” Schnitzel sandwich was one of their specialties. However, he recommended me to try the Cordon Swiss Sandwich there. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I had my eyes on Meat & Bread, a new fancy sandwich shop on the edge of Gastown long before they even open. While the space were renovating, I thought the place was going to be a high-end butcher shop that also sells bread. What a weird concept!
About a month ago, however, I happened to walk past Meat & Bread during their grand opening. So I went inside to check it out and soon realized that it is actually a gourmet sandwich shop. I felt like an idiot standing in the faux meat packing factory. The hanging sandbag at the far end of the shop reminded me of a cow carcass waiting to be cut. A couple of trophy animal heads completed the décor. Somehow, the interior designer had skillfully turned the gross, negative vibe associated with a slaughter house into a cool and hip sandwich shop. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
If you are a fan of my blog, you may wonder why the hell my staple meal is a western dish. Even I was surprised when I became aware of my choice. It’s really hard to believe because I was born and raised in Thailand. My favorite food is Thai. And my tongue is definitely pro-Asian flavors. But somehow I have found myself eating more Tim Hortons’ chicken salad sandwiches than the mouth-watering Pad Thai this year. What gives?
Well… after a careful deliberation, it all comes down to three factors: value, accessibility and nutritional value. That’s right. Subliminally, I’ve been processing these complicated data in my head for ages. No wonder why my receding hairline is getting higher and higher every year. Dammit! [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
It’s been a while since I wrote about pizza. If you followed my blog from the start, you’d probably remember my favourite Goldies Rustic Pizza. Unfortunately, since my review, Goldies has become even pricier. Many of their pizzas are now sold for $3 to $3.50 per slice. Although they still offer a few cheaper options, it’s time to find a back up plan in case they hiked up their prices again.
A few weeks ago, Nancy, my coworker, told me about the Unforgettable pizza. The Wednesday and Friday specials she told me sounded interesting. For $5, you get two slices of pizza and a can of pop. Since I had no other plans and it was Friday, I decided to declare a Cheap Appetite mission on it. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
A couple of days ago, I went to T&T supermarket near Tinseltown around 8:30 pm. I strategically chose to go at the closing hour because the prices of various food items were deeply marked down. As I scanned through the display fridges, I stumbled upon a pack of smoked turkey meat on sale for $1.99.
Before I knew it, my brain cells had already form a committee in my cranium, and unanimously voted to purchase that cold tray of meat. Shortly after, I was also informed that they had decided that I must cook a strange Cheap Appétit concoction named Massaman Curry Turkey with fries. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I first heard about Evelyn’s Cafe & Grill a few weeks ago from Grant, a good friend of mine. He is very supportive to my blog, and once in a while, he even helps editing my Cheap Appetite stories. Although I didn’t remember Grant’s exact word, he basically told me that he found another cheap breakfast joint for the Cheap Appetite. Evelyn’s is a bit more expensive than Yummy Sushi, but at least it is nice and clean.
Grant distastes Yummy Sushi, a cheap breakfast joint I wrote about last year, even though he has never set foot in that dingy place. In fact, I don’t think [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
My veggie mode was as short lived as Hollywood celebrity marriages. After a week or so of healthy eating, I decided to call it quit. Since then I have returned to the typical meat-lover diet to satisfy my cravings. A few days after I reinstated my carnivorous status, I walked past Urban Burger on my way to the beach. This restaurant is located on Davie Street between Burrard and Bute Streets, close to the Vera’s Burger Shack. Although both burger joints are not exactly right across the street from each other, they must have been in some sort of business wars.
Intrigued by the rivalry vibes in the air, I popped my head in Urban Burger to check out their menu board. And I was glad with what I saw in big bold types – $5.99 Urban Combo (a beef burger, fries and a 16 oz fountain drink). “Cool! The whole combo for the price one Vera Burger. Now this’s a good deal,” I mumbled as my feet took several involuntary steps closer toward the counter. “An Urban Combo, please,” I told the cashier. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
My belly is getting big, so my health conscious mode has finally kicked in. Last week, I ate more veggies than I had eaten in the previous six months combined. Hence, this week mission is about me operating a blog under the veggie influence. And just to be clear, I’m not talking about weed here.
I found Budgie’s Burritos over a month ago while I was on the way to visit a friend of mine. When I came back home, I did some research and realized that the burrito joint is vegetarian. Because I’m normally a meat-lover, I didn’t care much to check it out in person. But now that I have been on the boring salad diet for days, a vegetarian burrito started to [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Last Wednesday was a beautiful day in Vancouver. So I decided to stroll along the False Creek’s seawall from Granville Island to engage in a Cheap Appetite mission at Go Fish Ocean Emporium. I have heard a lot about this restaurant but I hadn’t had a chance to visit. Rumor has it that they serve mean Fish Tacones there.
When I approached the restaurant (or better described as a seafood shack with metal sidings and wood patio), there were a long line of patrons waiting to order their lunches. “Dammit, this is gonna take forever,” I cursed. But since I was on a mission, I couldn’t just walk away and find another place to eat. So I toughed it up and walked towards the end of the line which wrapped around the shack. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I’m not a big fan of cheesecake. But I am a big fan of the Golden Girls. So when Rue McClanahan passed away earlier this week, I just had to write a tribute for her. Blanche Devereaux is one of my favorite sitcom characters. Actually, to hell with it — I love them all; Sophia Petrillo, Dorothy Zbornak, Blanche Devereaux, and Rose Nylund.
If you are also a fan of the Golden Girls, you’d know how much they love cheesecake. And chocolate cheesecake was always their favorite. Although my budget doesn’t allow me to fly in the best chocolate cheesecake from Miami, I did my best to [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I had been freelancing in Yaletown for almost 6 weeks. It was fun working in a new and friendly environment. However, I had a hard time finding a Cheap Appetite for lunch in the neighborhood. For weeks, I had survived on either Subway meatball or cold cut subs ($3.29 for a 6-incher). Although I enjoyed experimenting on different combinations of bread and sauce at first, it got old really fast.
That was when I moved along to a few ethnic restaurants nearby, but they weren’t worth writing about. While I’m sure [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
I was invited to attend the new McMini tasting event hosted by a McDonald’s Canada PR firm a few weeks ago. But I couldn’t make it because the timing was conflicted with my new freelance work. Fortunately, the PR lady was kind enough to send me a $10 gift card so I could try the McMinis on my own time. “Um… Just so you know… I won’t write about them if I hate them” I warned the lady on the phone before she sent me the gift card. But she seemed content just for me to try the products. So, why not? I’ll try them. They are free. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
Earlier this week, a PR firm sent me a press release of a new Spanish-inspired Tapas Bar called Judas Goat. The bar is located in Blood Alley, Gastown, just across the street from my condo. I was quite surprised when I first read the news. Why would anyone open a business in such a notorious alley with very little foot/car traffic except from a bunch of junkies in the neighborhood? Then it blew my mind even more when I discovered that Judas Goat is beside another fancy restaurant in the same alley. OMG, they opened two eateries right under my nose, and I didn’t even know until now! [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
When Jason, my coworker, told me about the $3 Sirloin Uncle Burger special at A&W, my eyes lit up with delight. Even though I hadn’t planned on reviewing a burger this week, I decided to do so before the promotion is over. I’d had my fair share of A&W Mama and teen burgers in the past few years because they were normally on promotions. Ever since I tasted the Sirloin Baby Burger Twins four months ago, I wanted to try the Sirloin Uncle Burger too. But I didn’t want to pay the full price due to my cheapness. Finally the time had come. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
After hearing a CTV news reporter estimated fifty thousand visitors walking around Vancouver’s downtown core last Saturday night, I went out to experience this phenomenon firsthand. It was great to see Vancouver in such a lively vibe. Everybody seemed to enjoy the Olympic Spirit. As walking past a McDonald’s, I saw a long line of people waiting to get their burgers. I couldn’t help but wish I was able to change their minds. Not that I thought less of the McDonald’s. [...]
By Tana Kosiyabong
As the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is getting closer, I’ve seen a drastic change in our downtown area. The city is all cleaned up nice and shiny. There are more visitors on the street than ever. Being a proud Vancouverite, I feel the urge to welcome them to my beloved city. So I compiled a list of food and drink I think visitors must try while they’re in town. Here are my 5 Must Eats in Vancouver (in no particular order): [...]
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
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
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
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
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 [...]
