Category Archives: Italian

Trattoria Italian Kitchen in Kitsilano

Trattoria Italian Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoFor our company’s Christmas dinner, we decided to dine at Trattoria. Hearing that many other companies were also hosting their dinners there, we were excited for our dinner experience.

We made reservations and arrived around 5:30pm. The table was set very nicely with menus, glasses and cutlery wrapped in red-checkered napkins.

idearabbit_trattoria_kitsilano1idearabbit_trattoria_kitsilano2For appetizer, Sheepie and I shared the Caprese $13.95. Surprisingly, our dishes came out already separated on two huge bowls. Mine were with sliced red tomatoes, while Sheepie’s was mostly yellow tomatoes. We were kind of puzzled with how the burrata looked. Taste wise, it was pretty good, but was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t in it’s traditional form. The texture of the sliced burrata, tomato and sandwiching some basil leaves in between was something I was looking forward to. The three colours of red, white and green is supposed to resemble the colours of the Italian flag, and usually, this dish jumps out at me because of the vibrant colours.

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For my entree, I had the Wild Salmon $24.95 with sweet pea risotto, lemon beurre blanc and seasonal vegetables. The salmon was well done, maybe slightly dry, but was pretty good. I’m not sure why I like congee, but not so much when it comes to risotto. When it comes to western rice, I prefer them to be very dry. But maybe it did compliment the salmon.

idearabbit_trattoria_kitsilano5For dessert, I had the Vanilla Crème Brûlée $8.95 with seasonal fruits (meaning a tiny slice of strawberry and mint leaves) and gluten free chocolate cookies (actually, only one piece).

idearabbit_trattoria_kitsilano4Sheepie had the Zeppole al Cioccolato $8.95 which were five Italian-style donuts with chocolate gianduja and vanilla creme angalise. It reminded Sheepie of Timbits, but of a fancier and larger version with chocolate filling.

Service was excellent even with the busy, but cozy atmosphere.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

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Ludica Pizzeria

Ludica Pizzeria & Game Room Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoA friend invited me to play some games while enjoying some pizza, so we went on a late afternoon Sunday. There were four of us and sat by the window with nice flower beds on the outside.

The other two had ordered the Italian Soda, so I thought I’d give it a try. I ordered Strawberry. You can also add Vodka for extra $. I had it with whip cream, but to my disappointment, it wasn’t that good. It seemed really watered down, and without much carbonation, it wasn’t much of a ‘soda’.

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I usually never order pizza at restaurants because I’m not a bread-fan. I don’t know why, but ever since I was little, I was more of the noodle person than bread. The only time I have bread is when I eat a sandwich, or complimentary bread buns are served at higher-end restaurants. I was eyeing on the pasta, but when I looked over to the next table and saw their Hawaiin pizza, it looked pretty good. idearabbit_ludica_pizzeria3Since everyone else was getting a pizza and it was a pizzeria, I felt I needed to try something different rather than getting pasta from every restaurant. So, I went with Hawaiian $13.50.

All pizza were fairly big size. I wasn’t able to finish 2 slices, but I got through it because it was really good. The thin pizza was crispy, and the topping were fresh and flavourful. Not to mention, when you’re playing games, it kind of goes down without you knowing it!

idearabbit_ludica_pizzeria2Sheepie had the Ham and Mushroom on their special menu.

Service was great with a friendly and sometimes sarcastic character that made us laugh.

idearabbit_ludica_pizzeria1The place was clean, with the thin-crust pizza baking in their stone oven.

We played Timeline and Love Letters, both of which were new to Sheepie and I.

idearabbit_ludica_pizzeria5It’s a lot of fun, and what’s best, there’s no extra charge for playing the games. I remember some cafes in Richmond that charged you per hour for playing. But here, you can keep going and going. You’ll never get bored as there are more than 750 board and card games to play. The staff will even teach you some so you can always try out new ones.

Will definitely be back!

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

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Escape! at Elements Casino

Escape - Elements Casino Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoDisclaimer: *This was a complimentary meal. This post was not edited or written for monetary compensation, and are solely my opinions and observations.

Hours of Operation: Monday to Sunday 24 Hours
Address: 17755 60th Avenue Surrey B.C. V3S 1V3
Phone: 604.576.9141

idearabbit_elements-casino18I was kindly invited to the newly renovated Casino Elements for their exclusive dinner; a seven course dinner with all-you-can-eat dessert! I was pretty stoked!

It was hosted on a Friday evening, so trying to get from downtown to the location in Surrey took us 2 hours! However, it was totally worth the drive!!

idearabbit_elements-casino19idearabbit_elements-casino1 idearabbit_elements-casino3 idearabbit_elements-casino2Dinner was held at Escape! on the second floor. It was an open space, easily seating over 100 diners. One side is all glass, letting in natural light to brighten the room. There is a stage on one side where there are free live entertainment from bands, local acts, stand-up comics every Friday and Saturday night. Check their website to see who’s performing.

idearabbit_elements-casino4I started off with a Shirley Temple which was tropical and beautifully presented, getting me into a ‘summer’ like mood. It tasted good too! It’s been a while since I last had one :P

idearabbit_elements-casino20The executive chef Raymond Mah, nicknamed ‘Chef Ray’ cooked up a seven course meal for the event. Keep in mind that these items are served on various days.

idearabbit_elements-casino61. Tomato & Bocconcini, Sundried Tomato Pesto, Balsamic Glaze (Rating: 5/5)

MMMMmmmmmmm! Just loved it! The tomatoes were fresh and firm. The small mozzarella cheeses were semi-soft and the mix of herbs and balsamic glaze were just perfect! I could have just stuffed myself completely with this one dish!

idearabbit_elements-casino52. Antipasto Salad, Grilled veggies, Salami, Basil (Rating: 3/5)

Selection of cooked carrots, onions, red and green peppers, mushrooms and salami. Sheepie and I thought the onions were squid! LOL. This is just me, but I usually cook my veggies quite raw since I like the hardness or crunchiness (even if that means not getting the most nutrients from them, like  cooking mushrooms brings out more potassium), but I like them raw (or close to it). Something about gooey veggies that I don’t find as appetizing. I would still eat it of course. Since most of the items were plain (except the saltiness of the salami), it would have been nice to have some additions of olives.

idearabbit_elements-casino7Pork Loin, Grainy Mustard Apple Sauce (Rating: 4/5)

Beautifully presented with the colours and layout. The meat was super soft and juicy. It was very impressive!idearabbit_elements-casino8Baby Back Pork Ribs, Whiskey Smoked BBQ (Rating: 5/5)

I’ve rarely had ribs in my life (can I call myself a foodie then? lol). In fact, I don’t really remember ever having one in a good restaurant. I think I’ve avoided wings and ribs because they tend to be greasy and have rarely any meat to chew on. However, these ribs were huge and presented on a wooden board. These ribs were amazing! Wow! Glazed with rich, smokey BBQ sauce, the meat was plentiful and moist.  A big thumbs up!

idearabbit_elements-casino9Portuguese Paella (chorizo, shrimp, peppers, tomatoes, saffron) (Rating: 5/5)

Sheepie wasn’t overly thrilled, but that’s because he’s not a big fan of rice to begin with. My friend also commented that it wasn’t the dish she cared for, but I loved this dish! It was dryer than most paellas I have had, which I actually like better than some which are stickier and mushy. As a person who loves fried rice, this was a delight for me, lol.

idearabbit_elements-casino10Clam & Mussels in a Cioppino Broth

It turned out that the shells I picked up were all empty…so no comments on the contents of the shells, and it wasn’t much of a stew but the tomato was enriched by the herbs, wine and seafood umami.

idearabbit_elements-casino12Lemongrass Chicken w/ Mango Chutney (Rating: 4/5)

Sheepie LOVED this dish the most. He fell in love with it. The meat was juicy, with the right amount of burnt charcoal flavour on the edges. The pineapples gave it a sweet touch while at the same time giving it a cheerful and energizing visual appeal.

idearabbit_elements-casino21 idearabbit_elements-casino13Smoked Beef Brisket, Natural Jus

Nicely roasted on the outside, but kept super juicy and moist inside. It was 1/3 fat, so Sheepie and I ended up cutting those parts off, but otherwise, the natural jus covered brisket was delicious!

idearabbit_elements-casino11Salmon, Bacon Carbonara Jus (Rating: 4/5)

The salmon were soft and savoury.  The lightly flavoured cream went really well with the fish. I love salmon, so I had several pieces, hehehe. idearabbit_elements-casino14King Crab Legs, Garlic Steamed w/ Green onions (Rating: 3/5)

Sheepie and I found it to be a bit too salty. On top of that, the legs were topped with a lot of garlic. Like A LOT. Sheepie, who has a deficiency of tasting garlic, didn’t notice, but I found it very garlicky. Don’t get me wrong, I do love garlic, but it was a tad bit too much, so I had to scrap off a spoonful from some. The meat otherwise was superb quality.

idearabbit_elements-casino15Crab Claws, Butter Poached (3.5/5)

With most of us full, no one was from our table was attempting to go through the hassle of carving out the meat from the claws…which was unfortunate. Such good meat, rare to get and expensive to order! I did take some home, and had some there. It was loaded with a lot of meat, though slightly a bit fatty from the butter. But as a person who no longer have butter in her fridge (for about 5 years now), I become sensitive to when butter is used.

idearabbit_elements-casino22idearabbit_elements-casino16 idearabbit_elements-casino17idearabbit_escape_elementscasino_26Afterwards, there were unlimited desserts at the Diamond Buffet downstairs. I tried the vanilla and chocolate mix soft ice cream in a cone.

idearabbit_elements-casino24I also had the chocolate mousse pudding. Light and not overly sweet. Sheepie who has quite a bit of sweet tooth was in heaven!

WOW! All I can say is, what a paradise dinner! The staff were very professional and friendly. The food was amazing – just wished we had more time to eat them all!

Afterwards, we were given a tour of the casino, and the Encore Rewards card to play at the slot machines. I think I’m a bit addicted now! LOL.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: N/A

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