Astro Boy gonna' knock you out at The Eatery.. kaboom!

Vancouver installment 2: Hanging amidst the raucous "amusements" as they mention in their website, The Excellent Eatery (3431 West Broadway, Kitsilano in Vancouver) hosts a marvel in innovative restaurant decor coupled with an eclectic brand of creative Japanese sushi offerings sure to tickle your tastebuds. The music is an odd blend of top 40 and raunchy rock fare. This is an experience to be had with friends or a romantic bite as I spied on numerous couples in the venue. A great place to celebrate what was Canada Day with explosive rolls. The menu offers a thorough array of traditional fare and street fare direct from Japan, of note the Okonomiyaki offerings (Japanese omelette) prepared traditionally just like in Tokyo! A feast for the eyes and mouth; the comic book decor quirkily plays off the palate of this creative sushi joint... kapow! bam! pop! Holy Fireballs Batman... it's sushi! The website is fantastical and quite user-friendly, check it out at: http://www.theeatery.ca/

Neon signs aglow...

The "amusements" hanging all over the darn place...

Appetizers: Tempura Tuna with Unagi sauce and Japanese Mayonaise ($7.50)

Starting off with: The Volcano Roll ($8.95)
an explosion of tuna, salmon, advocado tempura-style on a bed of crab meat... oh man.

In order from left to right: Green Hornet:tempura prawns, avocado and mango ($6.95) , Captain Crunch: california roll with unagi mayo tempura style ($5.95), Butterfly avocado draped over unagi and cucumber ($5.95) and Cali Mango Roll, ode to the Philippines: crabmeat, avocado and mango ($5.75)

These were all washed down with Peach and Strawberry margaritas ladies and gents... cheap and cheerful, a must-see treat!

Twisted, baked, scrambled Fork...

This morning was the first instalment of The Vancouver Chronicles as Rude Jude is taking me around the city. Our first brunch stop is Twisted Fork on Granville Whoever thought of baked eggs should be shot... in a ramekin filled with 5 eggs that looked smushed and mixed-in with Kraft single-esque gruyere cheese ($11). Thankfully it was accompanied by baked beans, a quarter of a pre-heated rosti and some bacon. Its saving grace was the sourdough bread and crack-addictive homemade rhubarb jam. The proprietors of Twisted Fork make it to sell by the jar at $8 a pop. However, the quaint atmosphere dotted with blacksmith influenced fork mobiles, clipboard twisted forks on the menu and the indie jazz music add to the cool Granville vibe. Asparagus scrambled eggs are a plus, also belonging to the $11 offerings. Note to self: if you're a coffee drinker, a french press serves your liquid gold and is oh-so-good. Check out their website at: http://www.twistedforkbistro.ca/


The asparagus scrambled eggs accompanied with the crack-addicted rhubarb homemade jam.

The aforementioned baked eggs.... don't judge a book by its molten butter-encrusted cover...

Mixing it up at Melanie's Bistro for dinner...

A usual haunt for the brunch folk, Melanie's Bistro (on the Danforth between Coxwell and Woodbine) served as a great setting for catching up with the girls over a prix-fixe Tuesday night-only dinner ($22). Your choice of appetizer and main, or appetizer and dessert is included in the cost. We all chose the app/main combo while sharing dessert: a not-too-sweet cheesecake covered in homemade bluberry compote. Fantastic and funny service amidst a backdrop of beautiful local art work, the crowd was buzzing and my famished company and I were excited to try the specials: Butter chicken with sauteed bok choy and white rice and Seafood Putanesca with a Red Tomato sauce. The simple descriptions do not do the mains justice as the light but flavourful dishes make the meal simply fantastic.


Snapshots of Piri Piri Shrimp and homemade crab cakes.... oh yesssssssssssssss.