Ryland A.'s Profile

I expected more.

Maybe the star power of owner/chef/TopChef champ Michael Voltaggio was just too much to live up to. Regardless, my expectations were sky high - but not as high as the amount of salt and fat in just about everything we had. Add in the expensive price tags (not too high if the food was stellar, but it wasn't) and Ink just isn't worth the buzz. (To be fair this 2 star rating is really more of a 2.5).

Dishes Sampled:

Kale with Pumpkin Seeds - 1.5 stars. Plain, boring, salty.

Charred Avocado with Mushrooms - 3 stars. Tasty but tiny portions and fish sauce foam a definite miss.

Mushroom oat cereal - 4 stars. This had a more complicated name but it resembled a mushroom oatmeal and was very tasty. My favorite thing we tried.

Skate Wing - 1 star. This fish was way, way too salty - to the point we almost didn't want to eat it.

Jidori Chicken & Waffles with Maple - 2.5 stars. Tasty but tiny tiny pieces of very fatty chicken (barely more than two bites) under a strange wafer waffle that wasn't at all satisfying.  Like taking comfort food and making it uncomfortable.

Short ribs - 2 stars. marbled to the point of being uncomfortably fatty, especially since they were pretty rare. I couldn't have eaten more than three or four bites. Of course, that's all there was anyway.

Apple Dessert - 4 stars. This was pretty delish, especially the little frozen cheese/ice cream balls.

Drinks - the sodas we tried were interesting and the beer list was fine if not anything particularly special. The drinks seemed pretty standard and not disappointing.

To sum things up, it felt like MV Ink was trying really hard to win a Top Chef challenge with each dish - but each dish had something not quite winning about it. I'm not sure if this proves that the food on the show looks better than it tastes, but it was certainly enough for me to tell Ink to pack their knives and go.

After a great trip with my momma to Vancouver, we met friends for dinner at Bellingham's Bayou on Bay.  What an awesome restaurant the old Stuart's Coffee location has turned into.  I had the super tasty Jambalaya along with a couple very good and well priced IPAs.  Everyone else's food looked great as well.  The waitress was a doll and it seemed everyone in the restaurant was having a good time.  I'd surely go to Bayou on bay quite often if I lived in Bham and will plan on making a part of all my future trips.

STOP 9 (aka the Epilogue) on our Culinary Day Out in Vancouver
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We headed to happening Kitsilano to find a brunch spot before heading back south of the border.  Sophie's looked like a funky spot from the street and we decided to give it a try.  I'm very happy we did as it was exactly the fun and tasty place we were looking for.

The funky decor set a very inviting mood on the rainy Friday morning.  The menu was packed with delicious sounding offerings.  My momma went for the tasty Santa Fe Benedict and I decided on the Greek Omelette.  It was good but I think I'd go for something else next time.  Still, we both really liked the vibe and the grub at this spot and would surely come back for brunch again.

STOP 8 on our Culinary Day Out in Vancouver
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We decided to go to O'Douls for a late night drink because it was one of the few places near our hotel that Yelp reported had live music.  Unfortunately the live music was very average and boring jazz being played a few guys in the corner.  The whole place had a hotel bar feel (it isn't a hotel bar) and the prices were even higher than some of the other expensive spots we had been that day.  It's a fine place to go and the staff is nice but it is really nothing special and there are surely some cooler places on the west end of Robson.

STOP 7 on our Culinary Day Out in Vancouver
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Our one dinner in Vancouver was the toughest decision we had to make on our only day in the city.  We had read good things about the Pourhouse on Yelp and it stood near the top of our list as we walked around Gastown looking at the options in person.  Ultimately it was the promise of Espresso Braised Short Ribs that sealed the deal.  Unfortunately, they didn't even come close to meeting my expectations.

To begin with the service was pretty awful.  Our waitress didn't take our drink order for a good 15 minutes and then didn't come back to take our dinner order for another 15.  After my momma innocently asked her if it was a busy night (which it wasn't), she finally straightened up a bit.  This wouldn't have been all that bad if the food had been better - but again it was disappointing.

We went with the menu recommended starter of the Humboldt Squid - nothing special.  Our main course was the Yukon Arctic Char, a side of Wild Mushrooms, and those Espresso Braised Short Ribs.  The Arctic Char was actually pretty good and the mushrooms were my favorite of the night.  However, I found the short ribs dry and very plain.  They didn't have even a hint of coffee flavor and they had too much fat on them (boring fat not tasty fat).  For dessert we had the so-so Warm Chocolate Cake and some pretty awful coffee.

While the food wasn't great, at least it wasn't too expensive.  All that plus a beer a wine and a whiskey came to $115.  Not a steal but not a rip off.  That being said, I don't think I'd go back to the Pourhouse.  It seems this might be an occasion of a restaurant resting on its laurels.

STOP 6 on our Culinary Day Out in Vancouver
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The Alibi was the one place I sought out after reading about it in the Vancouver Lonely Planet.  I am very glad I did as it is a few blocks NE of the main part of Gastown and I'm sure I would not have stumbled upon it.  

I really dug the interior - a big open space with tall ceilings reminiscent of an old train station or grange hall.  Our very nice (and very pregnant) waitress sat us at one of the long tables that other groups were sharing.  There were a lot of people and a lot of conversations but it wasn't too loud at all - something I am usually pretty sensitive to.

I selected an enjoyable Hopworks Organic IPA from the very extensive beer list and my momma eschewed here whiskey kick for a tasty lager.  I would have liked to try something off their food menu but it wasn't quite time for dinner so we stuck to beers.

If I lived in Vancouver I would lament the little bit high prices but I think I'd still head to the Alibi Room quite often.

STOP 5 on our Culinary Day Out in Vancouver
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I really liked this little bar on the south end of Commercial Drive - and not just because the waitress was the most beautiful woman I saw in Vancouver.  We stopped here for a happy hour drink and snagged a little table where we could again watch people walk up and down The Drive.

I had a tasty Granville Island Pale and my momma had a Dalwhinnie scotch that she really enjoyed.  We ordered the bruschetta which was actually three Olive Garden style bread sticks cut in half and baked with all kinds of goodness on top.  It was quite tasty though not really what we had expected.

As much as I liked Timbre, it loses a star for being just too expensive.  The beer, scotch (not a generous pour) and appetizer cost $40.  Way too much for happy hour.

STOP 4 on our Culinary Day Out in Vancouver
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This fair trade international imports store is the perfect place to head after you have just done some international travel.  It is full of the kind of things I always look for when traveling but rarely find (or don't particularly want to carry).  

Prices at this shop were quite reasonable.  My momma bought a very cool trivet made of rolled newspaper from the Philippines for only $8.  They were very smart to have a whole file of little explanation slips to stick in the package when you give your gift to someone.  On top of the soothing world music playing and very helpful clerks, they even had free coffee.

Instead of worrying about tracking down and lugging around souvenirs, just come here after your trip and get them all in one easy place.

STOP 3 on our Culinary (yeah, I know, but they had coffee) Day Out in Vancouver
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This little spot on the north end of Commercial Drive was a perfect stop for an early afternoon refueling before continuing down to explore The Drive.  I had a nice medium roast that was brewed and my momma had an attractive but average nonfat latte.  She didn't get a good vibe from the barista, although it wasn't something that I particularly noticed.  Probably the best part about Pane Vero is the big patio out front which is a great place to watch people out and about on The Drive.

STOP 2 on our Culinary Day Out in Vancouver
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The Japa Dog on Robson was the first stop on our culinary day out in Vancouver.  Although we hadn't been planning to stop there exactly, we knew we needed a bit of fuel for our long walk east to Commercial Drive and the Japa Dog buzz had been good.  Who doesn't like a little Japanese take on an American (sorry, North American) classic?

The small street food lunch spot had a good vibe and an interesting menu.  Japanese offerings include a Tonkatsu dog and Yaki-Niku-Rice dog.  While I am more of a fan of Japanese food than hot dogs in general, I felt for my first Japa Dog experience I should stick with the classic Teri-Mayo dog.  It was pretty good, for a hot dog - similar in taste to the all beef Dodger Dog.  The most notable taste wasn't the teriyaki sauce or the weird flavored green mayonnaise.  It was the dried seaweed on top that made it taste unmistakably Japanese.  My momma had the Oroshi dog - but that all pork offering wasn't as tasty.  We were both fans of the condiment bar which had pickled peppers, mustards, and the very important Sriracha.

Japa Dog is great for what it is - but not being a big fan of hot dogs, I don't think I'd hurry back.

STOP 1 on our Culinary Day Out in Vancouver
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