Tag Archives: hipster

Zipang Provisions

Zipang Provisions on UrbanspoonNot to be confused with ‘Zipang Sushi’, Zipang Provisions is located on the hipster street of Main street. The restaurant is so hipster-ish that you almost would not think that this is a sushi-ya or even a Japanese restaurant. The logo is also designed in a  hipster-ish style. With the interior designed with wood, metal and vintage decor, one would think that they have mistakenly walked into the wrong restaurant.

idearabbit-zipangsushi idearabbit-zipangsushi2 idearabbit-zipangsushi3 idearabbit-zipangsushi4However, the staff are Japanese, and the food is authentic as well. The prices are fair with service.

Water in big milk glass bottles were a nice touch to the hipster theme and avoided having to ask servers for more water. There didn’t seem to be any AC on a hot summer day and I was (gasp) sweating really bad. It was humid and hot, so even a fan would have been nice.

We had a table for about 14 people for lunch. On weekends at lunch, Zipang has a special menu which is pretty decent.

I ordered the Pork Cutlet Combo $9.80 which comes with salad, miso soup, agedashi tofu and a bowl of rice with 3 deep friend pork cutlets. The miso soup had sliced daikon which reminded me of my mom’s miso soup, and the miso they used were very good ones. They had two pieces of tofu and one eggplant in the ‘age’ (deep friend) dish. I am not a fan of starch used in sauce, so I didn’t like how the sauce was really jelly. But that is only my preference. Taste on the other hand was very good. The pork was a disappointment. It was very hard and dry, almost impossible to eat. Since it also wasn’t cut up, it made eating very difficult and unpleasant eating a huge chunk of meat with chopsticks.

idearabbit-zipangsushi5 idearabbit-zipangsushi7Other people had ordered the special AAA Steak $14.80 (with miso soup, rice, agedashi tofu) and none of them got knives and forks until we asked for one. My friend who ordered the BBQ with the soup had to ask for a spoon because it becomes almost like congee. For a Japanese restaurant, I thought all of this was inconsiderate for them not to have these come with the food. It should be a no-brainer, and I would assume it would have been in Japan. Too many would have complained already – lol.

However, I did have a bite of the steak and it was really good! Sheepie though was not happy that after telling them to cook it rare, they still cooked it through too much.

idearabbit-zipangsushi6Chef’s Choice Assorted Sashimi Combo $15.80 with 5 daily assorted sashimi with small green salad, agedashi tofu, miso soup and rice.

My friend and I kept complaining about the really uncomfortable metal chairs along the long table. They were definitely not good for sitting and it kept scratching my bare legs at the back.

One friend really liked the place and said he definitely wants to return.

Return Again

Back again for lunch with a large group, many of us were impressed with the presentation of the dishes. A set usually came on a tray, and everyone woo and ahh-ed while taking photos. Even the Japanese lady was impressed.

idearabbit_zipangprovisions21Chef’s Choice Assorted Sashimi Combo (本日のお刺身定食 5点盛) $15.80 comes with Assorted 5 kinds of Sahimi with small green salad, Agedashi Tofu, Miso soup, and Rice. idearabbit_zipangprovisions22Seafood Bowl Combo (海鮮丼セット) $15.8 comes with a bowl of mixed sushi rice, daily 5 kinds of Sashimi and Ikura on top. Includes small green salad, Agedashi Tofu, and Miso soup.  idearabbit_zipangprovisions20I had the Beef Tendon Curry Combo (牛すじカレーセット) $9.80 which came with a fairly large plate of curry with a bowl of Miso soup and Salad. It was indeed genuine Japanese curry. It was quite a bit, that I had some rice left over at the end…

Good visit. I gave another carrot for Atmosphere, up to 3, from 2. Same with service. Keep up the great work!

 Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

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Burgoo on Main

Burgoo on UrbanspoonAfter my guitar lessons through VSB, I met up with Sheepie for dinner at Burgoo on Main. I had been to the one in North Van, so it wasn’t the first time going to a Burgoo, but first time to the one on Main. Like the one in North Van, it was packed and busy, even at 9:30pm on a weeknight. It was loud, hip, grungy and mostly filled with young 20s to late 30s. Sheepie wasn’t fond of the noise level as he is super sensitive to sound. He wasn’t really into the grungy, rustic look either. It’s just not his thing :P .

I walked in and waited. Nobody came to greet me for a while until a friendly young guy came up and asked if I had been helped. When I said no, he apologized for the wait.

Our server on the other hand was a cold girl, though we did get our orders taken and food brought as expected. She was also a bit rough with refilling our cups with water, almost spilling on our phones on the table.

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We ordered the After School Special $16.50 which allows you to pick a sandwich and soup of your choice. We chose the Tastiest Chicken sandwich $15 (roasted free run chicken, bacon, Brie and diced apple with onion jam and Dijon mayonnaise, served open faced on toasted house baguette) and Sunset Corn and Chicken soup $8.50 (corn, free run chicken and light cream spiked with Chipotle and cumin, finished with crema fresca and cilantro).

idearabbit-burgoo-main3Tastiest Chicken sandwich $15 and Sunset Corn and Chicken soup $8.50 idearabbit-burgoo-main4 idearabbit-burgoo-main5
The soup was whole hearty, flavourful and filling. Very yummy! The sandwich was pretty big and although tasted really good, it was a bit difficult to eat. The crust was super hard to cut even with the knife that was provided. It had way too much mayo for my liking. The $3 flatbread was nothing special.

Overall, the dining experience was ok. Service wasn’t all that great, but the food was quite tasty. I suggest getting the combo deals. If you’re into hipster-ish places, you’ll enjoy the atmosphere and their comfort food.

 Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

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Location: carrotcarrotcarrot

49th Parallel Roasters Café

49th Parallel Roasters Café on UrbanspoonIt was late in the evening, past 9pm, and yet, even though it’s not in downtown, it was almost packed with hipsters chatting away with their friends inside and out in the patio. The interior and the decor definitely was targeted toward that hip, vintage yet modern feel.
Their packaging with their simple type along with black and teal colours make it a favourite design inspiration for many designers.

I ordered a doughnut and London Fog.

The staff were not the all smiley, cheerful Starbucks staffs. The cashier and barista were both hipsters with an attitude. Not a bad one per say, but like a ‘heya buddy, waz up.’ tone. The cashier just waited for us to order something, no greetings to start off with. It didn’t bother us much too much, though perhaps for people my parents age, they wouldn’t like the service – but that explains why the customers are all young 20-late 30s.

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London Fog and doughnut

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The London Fog was really good. I always forget to ask how many pumps of syrup they put in. I only want a hint of sweetness…note to myself :P The doughnut wasn’t as spectacular as my friend said it was. To be honest, I didn’t see too much difference from a Tim Horton’s doughnut, minus the load of sugar. I’m not a doughnut person to start off with, so perhaps I wasn’t the best candidate for his trial…

The tray with the mug and pot was really cool. The mug and tea pot doesn’t move around on the tray because of the hole carved into it. There’s no way for them to slide. Great idea! Not to mention nice mugs and cute tea pot too!

The furniture was pretty neat. There were lounges and chairs, long tables with swinging attached chairs. The lights were like the ones used in old factories back then during the industrial age. Funny how old daily things back then are now the ‘in’ trend of modern design.

A very unique cafe to check out. If you’re into the hipster thing, this is definitely  the cafe to go to :)

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