Canada Trip Introduction
The wife and I headed north to land of the Canadian for
some much needed R&R over a long Labor Day weekend (or Labour Day as our northern brethren like to call it). This was our first real vacation since our trip to Savannah over five years ago. The
purpose of this trip was twofold. The Vancouver portion of the trip was to be
the culinary excursion that I had been planning for my 35th birthday. The
Whistler portion was to be my wife's outdoor adventure. In reality the two trips blended together nicely and
there was a little bit of outdoor fun in Vancouver and a little bit foodie
action in Whistler. However most of the good eating happened in Vancouver and that will be the focus for the next couple
of posts. So with no further ado, I present....
Vancouver Day One
Ramen Time
Our first
stop in Vancouver was Santouka Ramen which you may remember from my
earlier post about true Japanese flavors. Since my missed opportunity to dine at the San Jose location in June, I had been craving their legendary ramen. After settling into the West
End rental that we picked up for our time in Vancouver, we walked over to Santouka
on Robson St. Unlike the Mitsuwa food courts stands in the US, this branch is a standalone eatery with a
nice modern interior and full table service. Even at 2:30pm on a mid-week afternoon there was a short wait for a seat. With a dozen ramen places on Robson to choose from, it is a testament to the quality
and reputation of Santouka that they can command crowds at anytime of day.
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| You know you want it... |
For lunch I ordered the Shio Ramen with
double Char Siu (I wish they had a triple!) ($10.95). The wife ordered the gyoza ($5.00) and a side order of the Toroniku Char Siu (pork
jowl) ($5.95). The side orders arrived
first and the gyoza ,while excellent, was blown away by the Toroniku which could
literally be described as “Pork Toro”. It melted in your mouth as would the
most tender, flavorable Toro. This is
now a must have next time I go to Santouka (every Santouka regardless of its
location/country has more or less the same menu). The ramen itself was a mirror image of the bowl I had in San Jose earlier in the year. The rich creamy
pork infused broth, the springy ramen noodles, and 'melt in your mouth' Char Siu
(though it was not as tender as the Tononiku). The only problem that I had was
keeping my wife from eating all of it. I wish I had upgraded to a large!
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| A little nicer than the Mitsuwa locations...this location actually has a sign. |
Pricewise, the ramen was $1 or $2 more per bowl than in their US locations. In the end the cost differential is insignificant because for ramen
this good, I would pay $20 dollars a bowl.
That night I wanted to check out Gastown since I had never really been there before and was curious about the scene. The first stop was the Albi Room, which was supposed to be BC’s premier Beer Bar with over 50 taps and several cask selections. However upon arrival, the tap selection was a bit of a disappointment. Fairly large (and well known) California and Washington brewers were overly represented. It seemed like they had almost every North Coast Brewing Company beer on tap here (I love North Coast..but I can have their beer anytime) . Instead of having the well regarded local Back Hand of God stout on tap, they had a Pike Brewing Company Stout which is available at any convenience store throughout the city of Seattle. I did enjoy the fact that you could get a small (i.e. scooner) or large (i.e. pint) glass of any beer on the menu, which allowed for extensive sampling. I settled on a limited edition BC Red Truck IPA that was $6.25 a pint. It wasn't overly bitter or hoppy like a San Diego style IPA, and was an enjoyable beverage unique to the Vancouver area. The wife made a better (but not Canadian) choice in the Carolus Quadruple which was a delicious boozy, malty treat.
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| Only a little drunk.... |
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| A little more drunk... |
Upon leaving the Alibi Room, we ventured further into Gastown. The bartender said there was a good whiskey bar called Irish Heathers 5-6 meters down the street (whatever the fuck that means..stupid logical metric system). Gastown is similar to the Gaslamp district in San Diego, but without the drunken beach skank factor. Old buildings converted into slick corporate establishments and lots of bars for drinking. Irish Heathers fit in with the neighborhood well. A sterile looking establishment compared with the faux European, grungy cool of the Alibi Room. The bartender was a cool old Irish dude and the Guinness ($6.50) was damn near perfect. The charcuterie plate was decent ($16) but the wife liked the Irish Pure Pot ($9) whiskey even better. After feeling a little buzzed and having spent a good deal of money we headed back to our apartment. Canada was treating us well so far...
Locations:
Santouka Ramen
1690 Robson St.
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7
http://www.santouka.co.jp/en/shoplist/index.html
Albi Room
157 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1B8, Canada
http://www.alibi.ca/
Irish Heather
210 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2J2
http://irishheather.com/
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