Tag Archives: Surrey

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

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot

Akasaka

Akasaka Japanese Restaurant on Urbanspoon

A fairly large and spacious Japanese restaurant run by Koreans in Surrey. Half of the restaurant has private tatami rooms, with even closing doors. We were there on a Sunday evening, and only the private rooms were occupied. The private ridea-rabbit_mascot-angryoom was very nice, and with the sliding door, we were able to shut out the noise and cold draft from the hallway. Unfortunately, unlike in Japan, the servers did not even make the effort to close it after they brought us tea or food, making it a little annoying for us to close it every single time, and eventually leaving it two-thirds of the way open.

The rooms were run down. The Asian artwork on the wall was ripped and had a hole as if someone had punched through it. The wall itself looked like it had gone through some war time. It was in serious need of renovation and upgrading.idearabbit_akasaka1

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Nice try on decorating, but rips and holes in the art? Better not to have it up in the first place if it is that damaged.idearabbit_akasaka3

Scallop+Shrimp skewer $5.95idearabbit_akasaka4

Tuna Tataki (small) $7.95idearabbit_akasaka5

Negitoro roll $3.95

I ordered the negitoro roll $3.95, Scallop+Shrimp skewer $5.95 and Tuna Tataki (small) $7.95. The food came promptly except for one person’s bento box which took quite a long time. The negitoro was good. Scallop and shrimp was nice and juicy. The tuna tataki was ok. I think I’ve had better ones at Green Leaf for the same price. Could have used a bit more zest flavour in the ponzu. But overall, my food was satisfactory. I tried a bit of Sheepie’s Gangnam Style Chicken which was chicken enrobed in kimchi and a lot of oil. Kind of like those Chinese deep fried chicken with red sauce, but spicy. It was alright, but a bit greasy for me. Sheepie had the Viking roll, but he didn’t like how there was so much cream cheese inside. I didn’t try.

Service in terms of bringing food, tea and friendliness was satisfactory. Presentation of food was normal, prices were a bit high for the quantity and quality, but the taste was good enough to satisfy my dining experience. It’s a bit far to come all the way down to Surrey from downtown to dine, especially with all the good sushi restaurants in Vancouver area. But if you live in Surrey, or happen to be in that area, it’s an ok Japanese restaurant to check out.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot   Price for Value: carrotcarrot

Atmosphere: carrotcarrotcarrot   Service: carrot
Location: carrot

ABC Country Restaurant 158th Street – CLOSED

ABC Country Restaurant on UrbanspoonMy co-worker and I were in the neighbourhood on a project and decided to dine at ABC Country restaurant. As soon as we we walked in, it felt different from the Vancouver atmosphere. I’m not sure if it’s because of the location…or it was just a gloomier atmosphere. It air and interior felt like I was back in a restaurant in Calgary (not that I’m saying it’s a bad thing). My co-worker also spent some time in Calgary as well, so he knew the feeling too.

I’m not sure why I ordered something so boring. Maybe it was the prices that deterred usand we weren’t all that hungry so we both ordered the Two Eggs any style. I had the eggs poached and  with diced hash browns and fluffy pancakes. For what it was, how it was presented, and the quality of the food, it was overpriced even though we had chosen one of the cheapest dishes.

idearabbit-abccountry

It wasn’t too appetizing and it felt like it should be those cheap morning breakfast on the corner for $3.99 or something.

I thought we’d never come back, and sure enough, it closed down. Two others have closed down and the ones which are still running have really terrible ratings. ABC better change, or they’ll be completely out of business very soon.

They do however, have a very cool website.
http://www.abccountry.ca/

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