Favorito Pasta Trattoria

Located near the busy intersection of Cambie and Broadway (and across from Sportmart as you can probably tell) is this quaint little pasta place that I was first introduced to by my boss. It didn't look spectacular on the outside nor the inside, but the food itself is pretty good!

Inside is kind of dark and I don't really like sitting beside the windows since they are so many passerbys. I think this is a mom and pop joint since the only server/host is a sullen, Italian (I'm pretty sure) man who I've seen every time I've come. Bearing that in mind, service isn't expected to be the greatest but since it's never overly busy, the wait times are bearable.

I've only been for lunch so I'm not sure about their dinner menu but at least 95% of their pastas are $12 or less and they do have a wide selection of pasta. I also must say that the past dishes are quite large but not Anton's large but the quality is much better. (For the record, I think Anton's is only about portions and nothing more)

Once you've ordered, you're treated to a basket of fresh, crispy bread with some butter. The butter comes in a relatively big ceramic cup which leads me to believe that it's probably been re-used and the bottom portion is nasty. However, I can't complain about free, hot bread.

Scallops ~ $10.95 - mushrooms and scallions in a cream sauce. This is probably my second favorite dish here. My friend really liked it and since she's a tiny girl, she was only able to finish about half of it.

Salmone affumicato ~ $10.95 - pink smoked BC salmon sauce. I had this and it's my most favorite dish here. There's a lot of salmon and overall just tastes great. It's unfortunate that I tried this one first because once I find a dish that I like, I tend to stick with it. I like the penne style of pasta but you can pick whatever type you prefer.

Bolognese ~ $10.95 - tomato sauce with lean beef and fresh herbs. My friend had this and said it was only okay relative to the other dishes she's had here. Other than the two listed above, others that I like include the favorito chicken and the cajun chicken. I've attached a picture of one half of the pasta menu for your reference. The other side has a few more pastas like carbonara and also includes the liked of stuffed pastas and lasagna.

I think this is a great place to grab lunch and go for a casual dinner with friends and family. It's comfortable, quiet and cozy but probably not a special, romantic kind of place but good for the first date =p



Favorito Pasta Trattoria

552 West Broadway St.
Vancouver, BC V5Z1E9

Tel: (604) 876-3534

Tomokazu Japanese Restaurant

I usually stop here in here once every 2 or 3 months for their AYCE lunch which I think is a great value at $11. Add about $4 for the unlimited sashimi (yes, there is no limit) and you'll have your fill of unlimited sushi for about $18 after tax and tip.

Tomokazu is one of my favorite places for AYCE cause I think the pricing is of great value (although I've only been there for lunch and late night) and the quality is decent too. The place is really close to the giant Toys R Us sign so it's hard to miss. Parking is all over the streets on Broadway but they have their own little underground parking lot which I think you still have to pay for anyway. This place also goes by the name of Ninkazu... I don't know why the owner doesn't update their business cards but probably cause no one bothers to take one.

I really like the openness and the decor of this place. At the end, they have their Japanese style booths and their own little rock garden. However, I don't like their washrooms or at least the way to get there. Plus, you've gotta get through two doors to leave so you have to save that paper towel and since they don't have waste cans nearby, you leave it by their gas tanks on the way back to your table.
They have a pretty good selection of food and the sashimi has always been fresh for me. I'm normally a fan of salmon only but I think the tuna here is even better than the salmon. Granted, like any other AYCE joint, they won't bring you everything that you list down, but they do get the majority of it. The food comes at a relatively quick pace with enough spacing in between for us the finish our previous plates. Concerning food, my only big complaint is the lack of dessert since it's just hard jello but I do like the fresh oranges they also have available (listed as fresh fruit). Overall, food is pretty solid but not out of this world.

I know AYCE isn't for everyone and expectations usually aren't high but this is one of the few I really like (the other is E-Bei on Granville but I haven't been there for years.). For what it's worth, I can tell you that I think Fish on Rice and Kawawa sushi are not very good AYCE joints.

My fondest memory of this place has to be when I came with a group of friends after late night studying at SFU and one guy had a little too much to eat too quickly. He said he needed to #2 and then stood up. After 5 seconds, he said "oh, it went away" and then sat down and continued eating. Maybe there's something alluring about Tomokazu's food that makes you just want to keep on eating... or maybe it's because their washrooms are gross and that you'd rather go home to do your business.


Tomokazu Japanese Restaurant
201 - 1128 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6H1G5
Tel: (604) 677-0434

The Fish House in Stanley Park

Meal time: Saturday 7:00pm

I came here for a friend's birthday on a dark and rainy night. I had the address ready in hand but still found the restaurant a little hard to find especially since it's shrouded somewhere in the forest. There is a parking lot but I believe that it is free parking after 6 pm.

It looked really nice and festive inside but on a rainy night, it's probably expected that it'd be empty. Actually, it just happened that out table was on the more open side while the other side was more dim and quiet. I suppose they figured we'd be a rambunctious bunch and placed us so.

Salmon frites ~ $8.75 - These tasted alright and weren't oily. It did come with aioli although it was already flavorful on its own. I didn't think it was worth the price though. I think potato fries are still better.

Steamed Mussels ~ $12.95 - I didn't eat this since I don't like shellfish but my friends that did noted that it was a fair share and that it was good.

Sticky Chili Sablefish ~ $29.95 - 6 oz. piece of fish and it came with a tasty risotto cake and it was quite good. The other option for those comparing is the simply prepared 8 0z. sablefish for a $1 less and it comes with mashed potatoes instead of the risotto cake. It also came with snow peas and either spinach or some kinda Chinese vegetable... I would've preferred vegetables other than these offerings.

Some kinda salmon special with veggies and a skewer of prawns ~ $35 - My friend said this was ok and was debating between this and the salmon bake which came with a $25 price tag. Once he saw the salmon bake my other friend ordered, he immediately regretted his decision. He said it was good but not great.
Seafood Bowl ~ $27.50 - I did not have the privilege of eating this but my friend said it was good. Take it for what it's worth shellfish lovers.

Overall, good but not memorable. Although our side was just us, the service was relatively slow. Our waiter, who also happened to be a young Chinese guy, seemed more interested in being buddy-buddy rather than serving us. When we got our bills, I put mine together with a guy friend since we split an appetizer and our entrees were almost the same price and he made a gay remark. When a guy combined bills with two other girls, he said "wow, menage-a-trois!". Seemed the waiter's mind was in the gutter and I was left thinking "damn, I should have combined with those girls instead." Unfortunately, automatic 18% gratuity.

Some of us ordered dessert and there were two birthdays. The guy brought out two desserts n a candle and we all started singing. We thought it was complimentary. After about 10 minutes, a girl (the gf of the birthday boy) mentioned that her dessert hadn't come. Turns out that the dessert with the candle given to the birthday boy was actually hers.

One other thing, Fish House allows you to combine different types of fish instead of getting one 8 oz. of the same one. If you look at the prices, if you're splitting with a friend, you're both better off getting an 80z of the same fish twice and splitting it amongst yourselves. Gee, this place is just full of surprises!

This has nothing to do with food or the Fish House but it was taken that night near the edge of the parking lot near Steamworks while it was raining and I thought it was nice, that's all.


The Fish House in Stanley Park
8901 Stanley Park Drive, Vancouver BC
Tel: (604) 681-7275
The Fish House

Federico's Supper Club

Hey all, sorry for the long hiatus as I had to take a break to study for my final exam so I'll try to make it up by having putting up a few more than usual reviews. Thanks for being patient yo.

Meal time : Saturday 8:00PM

My friend decided to celebrate her birthday here cause they had live entertainment, dancing and of course, good Italian food. Since we had a group of over 10, we had to select from a set menu which had about 3 selections for each course so there was some variety.
The scene of the singers and dancers with the dance floor. The floor itself is kind of small, maybe enough room for like 20 people? Unfortunately, way in the back hall in the top centre of the picture is where the washroom is so if you're on the other side (like we were), expect to waltz through to the washroom when you gotta go.

Our waiter, who reminded me of Frankenstein's hunchback assistant, was quite assertive and in-your-face. When we sat down, he remarked that it didn't look like we had enough room. We said we were fine and were within talking distance. Apparently, he didn't agree and started moving people's placements farther away and even moving some of us while we still seated. Perhaps he might need more room but the rest of us don't eat with our elbows on the table. Anyway...

Vitello Tonatto - thinly sliced veal loin with tuna aioli and capers - So... I guess this was good but not memorable. I don't normally like to eat veal though but it was the only appetizer with meat so I had no choice.

Linguine ai Frutti di Mare - linguine with fresh fish, shellfish, tomatoes and garlic - I didn't get to try it cause I don't like shellfish but my friend said it was so salty that she actually needed to take a sip of water after every bite. It was subsequently taken back into the kitchen where a new plate was made. By then, it was too late as her taste buds had already been "assalted" haha


Bistecca alla Griglia - grilled flat iron steak with juniper berries with sauteed vegetables. This was alright but like the veal, wasn't memorable. I did find the plate a tad small though.


Some kinda seafood pasta - sorry, I forgot the name and while going back to the menu, I was unable to locate it so it may have been a limited offering. My friend said it was good though.

Torta al Cloccolato - flourless chocolate cake - The first of 3 desserts I got to sample. It was extremely sweet. It was still good but my least fave of the 3.

Creme Brulee - i like creme brulee and this great, but not out of his world great. A bit more sweeter than I'd liked though. 2nd fave.

Tiramisu - I liked it a lot although as with the other 2 desserts, it was a little too sweet. If i had pick only one, it'd be the tiramisu.

The food was good but not awesome. The 3 course meal came out to be $40 without the 18% gratuity and taxes. For this alone, I wouldn't have thought it was worth it., especially the gratuity for the in your face server with the pompous attitude. However, likely the other part of the cost goes towards the entertainment.

I must say that Federico (the owner) is a great singer and entertainer. He's Italian but he also sung in Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese which was totally crazy and put my Chinese to shame. He was singing more of the classics although he did take a request to sing a black eyed peas song which was neat. Unfortunately, the time we came was also the same night that what appeared to be the mature Chinese singles dancing association and they took over the dance floor with their elegant moves. I was especially impressed with the pimpin' grandpa who appeared to have a whirl with all of the ladies. If only I could be as smooth as him in my senior years.



Federico's Supper Club
1728 Commercial Dr.
Vancouver BC, V5N 4A3
Tel. 604.251.3473
www.federicossupperclub.com
reservations recommended