Al Basha @ Cornwall Ave

Last weekend, it was threatening to snow, so we decided to have a quick meal somewhere close by. Al Basha had just opened a new location on Cornwall Ave (at Cypress), so we wanted to give it a try after getting a coupon in the mail. They also have another location on Broadway.

I forgot to take a picture of the exterior, but it was bright and easy to spot despite being a small diner. We were greeted by the owner (?), who took our orders and got right to making our wraps.

The coupon we had let use choose two wraps for $10. I got a chicken shawarma wrap and J.S. chose a beef donair.

Here's a picture of the menu. The simple menu makes it easy to decide on what to have, whether you are a meat lover or a vegetarian! I'd love to try the falafel next time!

We had the choice of various vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes and onions. He also spread a generous layer of hummus before piling on the vegetables on the open pita. He was attentive and put more onions on J.S.'s wrap when he learned that he liked onions (and less on mine when I told him not as much onions on mine).

You can also choose to have hot sauce on your wrap. We decided to skip the hot sauce this time... Looking good already!

The owner kindly posed for a picture with the shawarma machine while his staff served up the wraps. He had shaved the chicken off the machine and put it on the grill for a couple minutes before putting it on the pita. He also grilled the beef strips before putting them on the wrap.

I love the bright red and white checkered paper used to wrap the pitas! Makes me feel like I'm about to have a picnic, mini individual basket and all!

Here's an overview of the little diner. It's nice and cosy with a handful of tables, but it's also bright with white fluorescent lighting (my favourite kind of light, if anyone cares to know). I like bright places where I can actually see what I am eating!

Let's get chomping on the food! One bite in and I see the chicken! The vegetables were fresh and crisp, a nice contrast to the warm and toasty chicken.

Here's an inside look at our wraps! (Obviously mine looks better! Hehehe! But J.S. liked his beef donair just fine.)

Let's take a closer look. Juicy charred chicken with some tasty black bits, can't really tell what they were but it was yummy!), and tomatoes and lettuce! What you can't see is the generous amount of creamy hummus spread over the bottom layer of the pita. That hummus was literally the best I've ever had! I need to ask the owner how he makes the hummus so good!

The chicken was nicely grilled and moist, with a slight sweetness to it. Definitely the kind of chicken I like! I think it would still taste good if it was served at room temperature.

If I need to grab a quick and easy meal, I'll definitely come back to Al Basha for their wraps! I'd also like to try one of their platters, which come with an assortment of dishes served with rice. Their prices are reasonable and competitive, and the friendly staff will make your visit even more enjoyable! Give it a try someday!

Al Basha is located at 1937 Cornwall Ave, Vancouver, B.C., V6J1C8.

There's also a location at 3143 Broadway W, Vancouver, B.C., V6K 2H2.

♥ Nikki

Jolly's Indian Bistro @ West 4th Ave

In most of the miserable month of June, it was raining and cloudy for much of the days. Even though the temperatures were slowly starting to inch up, it was still a rainy evening when we went to Jolly's Indian Bistro last Saturday.



We got a Groupon where I paid $20 for an appetizer and two entrees. This place seemed to have pretty good reviews and they don't take reservations, so we headed over around 6 p.m.



It was a very small space but nicely decorated with brightly coloured fabrics and the tables were neatly arranged to maximize the limited floor area. It was quite full but we managed to get a table immediately.



I thought it was super clever of them to line the ceilings with all these vibrant red, orange and yellow reams of cloth, because it gave the restaurant a very warm ambience, as well as nicely covering up the unsightly ceilings. They must have saved a fortune on renovations to the ceiling!



This is a picture to show the small bar near the kitchen in the corner of the dining area. I didn't take a picture of the front entrance but it was also minimalistic.



We took a look at the appetizers. All of them looked and sounded so tantalizing! We finally decided on the Amritsari Fish, just because fish was such an exotic item on the appetizers menu!

Our fish came a little after 15 minutes, and by then, the restaurant was really starting to fill up. I guess we were lucky to be there early!



The fish was covered in a deep-fried orange batter and laid atop a bed of spinach, cucumber and tomatoes.



The generous portion of fish was topped with cilantro, shaved coconut, along with a yogurt dressing and fruity mango dressing!



The fish was light and savoury, and went so well with the light mango and yogurt dressing. The spinach salad was a nice touch to complement the salty fish. However, I would have preferred if they had put the dressing in a small dish instead of letting the fish soak up the dressing, which made it a little soggy.



You can see that the fish was a slight orange colour. I was not sure if this was because of the spices in the batter or the natural colour of the fish. This was a great start to the meal!



For the entrees, we picked East India Gobhi, because cauliflower and potato sounded like a good combination, and Mumbai Chicken Masala, just because it seemed like the safest choice.

Our food came at nearly 7 p.m. The restaurant was getting crowded and people were waiting for their tables at the entrance.



Each entree came with a serving of rice and the same spinach/cucumber/tomato salad with mango dressing.



An entree also comes with a generous portion of naan, with warm ghee and garlic spread on it. It was a little tough but I enjoyed their spin on "garlic bread."



This was the masala chicken with a mound of fried spinach on top (yes, you heard me right, FRIED spinach!). The fried spinach was lovely and crisp when it was fresh, but when it cooled it was just greasy and left a horrible mess and taste in my mouth.



Removing the fried spinach on top unveiled a large piece of orange chicken. At first, I thought it looked like a piece of crab. The chicken was fork tender and pulled apart very easily. The sauce was mostly sweet with just a little hint of spice. I was quite pleased with it.



This is the cauliflower and potato entree, again in a tiny little pot. I really loved the presentation; it seems like the norm for Indian restaurants. This was a little more spicy and salty -- a little too overpowering for my taste buds. I could see endless cauliflower but not a hint of potato. The potato must have melted into the sauce.



The potato/cauliflower dish progressively got spicier and saltier over the course of the meal, and the chicken also started to get spicier. It was nice to tear off a piece of garlicky naan and dip it in the sauce; the flavours went very well together. The spinach salad was a little out of place; I imagine something cool and sour like pickled vegetables would have taken off some of the spicy punch. Is it customary to serve pickled vegetables with Indian food?



My plate was very full with all the different tastes and dishes. The brown basmati rice was a little rough but still picked up the sauce nicely. It took me a long time to empty my plate; I imagine there must be a lot of fat in the sauces, explaining their flavoursome body. From my (not-so-expansive) experience in eating Indian food, quantity does not matter since it is so heavy, hence you get full more easily.



Applause for the lovely presentation, it really made the meal wonderful to enjoy. We could not finish most of the cauliflower/potato dish so we took it home. I'll say it was very worth it for the (Groupon) price we paid. I would consider coming here again just for the amazing fish appetizer!

However, regretfully, my stomach did not seem to agree with the food later that evening. It made me feel sick and I was surprised it took me about three to four days to fully recover. Even though I had a good experience at the restaurant, maybe my stomach was unable to handle such strong spices. I could not envision myself going there again. This is my personal experience; I am not saying you should not try it for yourself.

Aside from that, the food was good, and the waitress was very friendly and gave us plenty of time to decide. It was a little dim; I am not too fond of dark restaurants as I actually would like to SEE what I am putting into my mouth.

Jolly's Indian Bistro is located at 2928 West 4th Ave (at Bayswater Street), Vancouver, B.C.

♥ Nikki

Sushi Showdown @ Alma St & 4th Ave

I used to live on Alma Street and 4th Avenue, and during that couple of months, I would walk by Ikebana Sushi every day. I have visited it a few times and always got the sushi special combo. I've never taken pictures of the exterior but it's a small corner restaurant and it does not look very impressive on first sight.

Just round the corner along 4th Avenue, there was an empty store which was leased during the time I was living in the area. Months of renovations went by and soon, posters appeared on the windows stating that a new sushi restaurant was opening.

Finally, around May, Irori Sushi opened its doors. It was glamourously decorated with modern, dark-coloured furniture, a floor-to-ceiling bamboo display and beautifully crafted light fixtures.





There were not many customers as it was still early. We were ushered to a table by the window. This is the leather-covered menu.



When I opened it, I was quite taken aback by the prices. Definitely not what I would expect in a small sushi restaurant in this neighbourhood. I was not pleased and want to leave right away, but J.S. convinced me to stay and try something. We settled on a sushi combo with California roll and assorted nigiri to share.

The miso soup that came with it was too regular, I even suspected they used a microwave to reheat it, since I heard some microwave noises.



When asked what we would like to drink, I asked for water and J.S. asked for tea. This is what we got each. Great service indeed (no sarcasm here!).



Here's our full table before our food even got here. She even got us plates for sharing the combo. I'm quite amused.



The food took longer to get here than I expected, and when it came, I was appalled.



This was it! Four pieces of nigiri and eight pieces of California roll. I had expected portion sizes to be bigger but I guess this place is not where one should expect quantity. Quantity aside, we ventured to taste how much quality there was.



The nigiri were not impressive; the tuna was tasteless and the salmon was nothing like what I usually have. I've had rich, creamy fatty salmon that melts in my mouth; this salmon appeared to be smoked but had neither flavour nor texture. However, the shrimp was juicy.



The California rolls were not much better, the imitation crab meat was salty and the seaweed was tough. I could not wait to get out of here.

This terrible combo cost us $8.95 plus taxes and tips!

With our bellies half full, we set off next door to Ikebana Sushi for more sushi!

We got the Special Combo A to share and we got the nice waitress. She served us hot tea and the food came in a long while (because many people were getting takeout).



Look at this! Six pieces of fresh tuna roll, eight pieces of California roll and eight pieces of yam tempura roll! I'm quite sure this is enough food to feed a small army.

One thing I like about Ikebana's sushi is that they are very generous with the fillings. The filling takes up 3/4 of the sushi and rice makes up the other 1/4.

The tuna was definitely a lot fresher and didn't disintegrate once it entered my mouth. The yam tempura was fresh from the fryer and still slightly warm, which was an interesting mix of hot and cold flavours.

There is also a generous portion of pickled ginger and wasabi if you are a fan of them! Last time, I got this combo and had half of it to go. They even gave me a small container of the ginger and wasabi to go! That's excellent service, but it really depends on the waitress on shift that day.

To top all of this off, guess how much was this platter of sushi? $5.95 + taxes. If you get it to go, you won't even have to pay tips! That's slightly over $6 for a takeout that can easily feed me for two meals!

If you are ever in the Kitsilano area, try these two sushi restaurants for yourself!

Irori Sushi is located at 3692 W 4th Ave., Vancouver, B.C.
Ikebana Sushi is located at 2090 Alma St. Vancouver, B.C.

♥ Nikki

Transylvania Flavour on West Broadway/Arbutus St

A couple months ago, I got a Groupon for Transylvania Flavour. I have never heard of this restaurant although it's conveniently located on West Broadway and Arbutus Street. We must have passed by this a dozen times because we always see B.C. Sushi yet never noticed the tiny place with European fare.



The almost invisible sign is so hard to notice and the entrance is actually at the "open" sign right next to the huge B.C. Sushi sign. Here's a picture of the entrance.



When we went in, we were cheerfully greeted by a lady who showed us to our table. We made reservations for 6:30 p.m. and the restaurant was filling up fast, with many customers also holding on to their Groupons.



After observing the restaurant for a couple minutes, it's easy to tell this is a family-run restaurant. A man (whom I assumed to be the owner) named Nick and (presumably) his wife take care of all the customers personally and they do not have any other waiters or waitresses! They bring menus, serve water, take orders, dish up the food, bring the bill for every single table, all with a cheery smile on their faces.



We ordered the Knight's platter, which came with eight different dishes meant for sharing between two people. They comprised several appetizers on the menu.



I don't have pictures for all of them because it was so awkward to keep taking pictures every few bites! People need to know that there are food bloggers out there trying to do their work! :P Next time, we should just request to sit in a secluded corner so we won't disturb other patrons trying to enjoy their food. But rest assured, I have photos to accompany the best-tasting treats!

1. Caesar salad

Lovely crisp lettuce with creamy, homemade Caesar dressing, topped with a generous helping of shredded Parmesan cheese. My only complaint? They served the lettuce "head" part, which I don't think should even be served to the customer.

2. Perogies



European-style "dumplings" as I call them, these thick pasty dough pockets are filled with mashed yam and Friulano cheese. I didn't know they were filled with yam, but guessed it was the sweet taste of pumpkin. They were topped with roasted red pepper sauce (I could identify the very distinctive taste), sour cream, bacon and spring onions. I would prefer this to be pan-fried and not deep-fried as the flour in the dough was heavy enough.

3. Cabbage Rolls

The juicy, tender meat loaf wrapped with cabbage surprised me. Cabbage rolls are infamous for being soggy and lumpy but this held its shape well and the cabbage was not overdone. They were topped with sour cream, spring onions and bacon bits.



*Here's another picture of the platter as I do not have pictures of each individual dish.

4. Meatballs

These meatballs looked like mini slider burger patties, and a little too dry to me. But they were moist and tasted quite special, unlike other meatballs you usually have. The tomato sauce on the top was a nice touch to the little patties. I'm sure these would go great as sliders for a fun twist.

5. Schnitzel



I couldn't tell if it was chicken or pork (I'm thinking it's chicken) schnitzel. Schnitzel is a traditional European dish where a piece of meat is pounded thinly, lightly covered with bread crumbs and pan-fried till golden brown. This schnitzel was dry and did not have very exciting flavours to it; it was nothing more than a chicken cutlet to me. I'd prefer a Japanese tonkatsu any day.

6. Paprika-dusted fresh-cut fries

Boring ol' fries. No hint of paprika whatsoever. I think mashed potatoes would make a better side dish to balance out some of the heavier items in the platter.

7. Mititei (Romanrian-style sausages)



I thought these were going to be regular grilled sausages, but they were certainly out of ordinary! First of all, they were skinless; none of the tough, rubbery exterior to interfere with the intricate flavours of the meat. These sausages had strong spices in them and it gave my tastebuds a kick. The special characteristic of these sausages was their texture -- they had a little bounce to them when you bite into them, since they contained gelatin. I would have enjoyed these a lot more if they weren't charcoal burned to a black, bitter layer on the outside.

I'm saving the best item for last -- the one thing that stood out among the rest in the entire platter. The winner of the platter goes to....



POLENTA AND CHEESE CROQUETTES!

I've never had polenta ever, and this sure made my first polenta experience an unforgettable one! Polenta is a thick pudding made from cornmeal and it tastes creamy and rich on its own. I loved how they mixed it with cheese and deep-fried it into pretty little rounds! Sure makes it easy to eat and good to look at.



The cheese in the croquettes held the polenta together nicely and gave it a richness that not many ingredients could. The crusty outer layer of the croquettes gives it a great crunch. These come drizzled with sour cream and their signature roasted red pepper sauce.

If there is one thing you have to try from Transylvania Flavour's menu, that has got to be the polenta croquettes!

We concluded the meal with complimentary chocolates which they brought when our bill came.



I was rather impressed with the restaurant's service, especially there was only the two owners of the business serving the customers. When we were finished with our food, the restaurant got quite busy and the cooks from the kitchen personally dished up the food to the customers. I like how they tried to keep to the family-run restaurant by not having any other waiters or waitresses. Yet the owners still had time to come around the tables and ask us how we were doing and refill our water glasses.

Definitely a good place to visit with a bunch of friends as their serving sizes are quite generous and good for sharing! It would be fun sharing a few appetizers with a couple of drinks while catching up with friends. Great for people who love deep-fried food (I personally thought it was a little too heavy). Excellent service is a plus! Do make reservations as it can get quite packed during dinner hours.

Transylvania Flavour is located at 2120 W Broadway St., Vancouver, B.C.

♥ Nikki