Tag Archives: west coast

Black’s Pub in Whistler

Black's Pub & Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoThe restaurant spans from the main to the upper floor. We got the patio upstairs which was nice, though we couldn’t watch the people walk by, nor see the road bike competition going on on the hills as there were trees blocking our view. The patio was full, but the upper interior was almost empty. Since all other restaurants were packed with long lineups, we were glad to be seated right away.

idearabbit_blackspub_whistler2idearabbit_blackspub_whistler1idearabbit_blackspub_whistler5I ordered the Chicken Penne $18. At first it seemed a bit bland, but once you got to the sauces sitting at the bottom, it was just the right saltiness. Love the olive oil with the, juicy and tender chicken. It doesn’t seem much, but I was pretty full by the time I finished the dish.

idearabbit_blackspub_whistler4Sheepie had the Classic Burger $13. Thick, juicy patty fresh veggies. The thick big fries with paprika was super good, esp when hot. Thumbs up!

idearabbit_blackspub_whistler3Our friends had the Supreme pizza $27 (large 14″) with tomato sauce, mozzoarella, pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers. It was nicely presented, and was enough to fill 2 adults.

Our server was very friendly and chatty, even with Sheepie who can be sometimes blunt. Lol.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

 

Empire Landmark Tower: Cloud 9

Click to add a blog post for Cloud 9 Revolving Restaurant & Lounge on ZomatoTo celebrate a friend’s birthday, we celebrated dinner at Cloud 9. We had a reservation at 7pm on Sunday for 4 people.
It was the second time for me to dine there, but the first time, it was already pitch dark and the inside also pretty dim. The night view was really nice, but this time, the sun was just starting to set, so we got an incredible view – 360 degrees of it from the 42nd floor.

idearabbit-cloud9_2 idearabbit-cloud9_3The Cloud 9 restaurant rotates slowly (so don’t put any camera’s, purses or personal belongings on the window sill – though you will see it again in an hour, assuming no one takes it). We started off with the view of North Van and Vancouver Harbour. I was surprised that the AC wasn’t strong on such a hot evening. As we came upon English Bay, the view again was stunning, but the sun was grilling us. Even with the blinds down, we were kind of sweating…

idearabbit-cloud9_1Their menu just changed at the end of June 2015.

idearabbit-cloud9_4 idearabbit-cloud9_6I ordered the 6oz BC Sablefish (Haida Gwaii) $36. The portion of the fish was quite generous, poached in tomato saffron broth. It was quite bland, and wished for more salt. There was table salt on the table, but just for my health, I resisted the temptation and ate on. The wild pilaf rice was on the harder side and with the sauce so bland, the rice was also flavourless. I wasn’t too impressed by the dish. Was not worth the $36. 2/5

I was a bit jealous of Sheepie’s food. He was the only one to get the 3 course meal. If you’re hungry or can eat it, I highly recommend the 3 course if you want a great deal with good food! Sheepie ordered the Linguine Vongole (seafood) course $34.95

idearabbit-cloud9_5For his appetizer, he had the Kale Caesar Salad with kale lettuce, romaine hearts, crispy bacon bits, shaved asiago, herbed croutons in garlic Caesar dressing. The salad was surprisingly pretty good. I remember vaguely the first time we dined there, he had a caesar salad and it was a depressing bowl of just lettuce with a bit of croutons. It didn’t seem like a fine dining salad, so it’s good to see that they’ve improved. However, the croutons and the mini tomatoes were way too big… 4/5

idearabbit-cloud9_7His Linguine Vongole has decent portions of prawns, scallops and clams. The olive oil, basil and white wine dressing was flavourful compared to my dish. 4/5

idearabbit-cloud9_8Lastly, he had the Chocolate cake. It was super rich and smooth. Could have eaten all of it…lol.5/5

So for all 3 for less than my fish dish! I would definitely get the course next time!
The other 2 had Chowder soup but it was in light tomato soup, making it look like minestrone soup than the usual creamy chowder we’re used to.
Our server was ok, not rude or anything, but not what you’d expect at a high end restaurant. At the beginning, it was a young girl – perhaps a busser who checked my friend’s ID to see if it was really her birthday. For some reason, she never got the birthday cake and we didn’t ask for it, because we didn’t know we were supposed to get it. It was when we were going to pay that my friend noticed that there wasn’t any discount on the bill. When she told the server, she brought the cake in a doggy bag. That kinda sucked.
The dining experience had both pros and cons and this visit gave me a better idea on what to do next time. I would say that my ratings for Zomato is more on the view and experience of dining in a revolving restaurant.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot   Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot

Bistro 101

Bistro 101 on UrbanspoonI had read so many good things about Bistro 101, so I wanted to try it out. Since they’re only open during weekdays and Friday seemed to be very popular, I had to book a month in advanced to get a reservation through Open Table. Monday-Thursdays are 3 course meals where lunch is $20 and dinner is $26. You can’t get fine dining for a better price anywhere else! Fridays are West Coast buffets at $22 for lunch and $33 for dinner.

I was aware that the prices are cheaper than other fine dining restaurants because this is where the future chefs learned, studied and experimented their cooking. The hostess wasn’t as friendly as you would expect from fine restaurants, but I had read that they are students and aren’t all that ‘trained’ yet up to par.

idearabbit-bistro101idearabbit-bistro101-4

So how it works is that the appetizers and desserts are buffet, going up and getting whatever you liked, how much you’d liked. There were some good appetizers, but I thought the clam chowder soup was the best.

The main dish was seafood and this, you had to tell the server when you wanted. This isn’t all you can eat – it’s only a one time thing for that dinner per person. There were 2 large scallops, and a variety of fish and 2 asparagus. This plate would have already cost more than $50 at a fine restaurant, so it was a really good deal. The scallops were delicious! The asparagus was on the rawer side – which I didn’t mind, but Sheepie wasn’t too happy. But knowing how Germans served their Spagel (white asparagus), I guess it wasn’t something he’d like. The 2 slices of tuna tataki was soft and melted in my mouth. The potatoes were a nice complimentary side dish.

idearabbit-bistro101-6 idearabbit-bistro101-5 idearabbit-bistro101-Really good clam chowder soup!

idearabbit-bistro101-2

The main dish (dish is not all-you-can-eat)

idearabbit-bistro101-3idearabbit-bistro101-8 idearabbit-bistro101-7idearabbit-bistro101-20 idearabbit-bistro101-21

Chef Christine was energetic despite working at a different location from 6am. She was telling the other customers at the table next to ours. Seems like the chef changes every 6 months at Bistro 101. It was really nice for her to be serving the customer and interacting so well.

idea-rabbit_mascot-joyI was really happy with pretty much everything. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere, not too sophisticated as some fine restaurants, but goes well with the Granville Island feel where it’s located. The place is clean and the selections for the buffet is plenty. Be sure to eat only a bit of appetizer at first since the main dish is quite filling. Then you have unlimited dessert! The price is fair. I’d love to come back and try their 3 course meals!

 Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot   Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrot carrotcarrot  Service:  carrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot