Aqua Riva

website 
200 Granville Street
Vancouver
604.683.5599

Meal
Lunch

Cost
$$

Entree
Penne with Smoked Chicken Breast

The Low-Down
Delicious

Review
This was definitely a pleasant surprise. I haven't heard the best of things about this place, but I'll have to disagree with what I've heard now! Everything on the menu sounded mouth-watering, but I finally settled on the pasta. The sauce was delicious and the pasta was cooked very well. The chicken had just the right amount of seasoning, but most importantly, it was juicy. The asparagus was a tad salty though.

Penne with Smoked Chicken Breast

V-Nam

175 East 3rd Street
North Vancouver
604.985.5477

Meal
Lunch

Cost
$

Entree
Rare Beef Slice and Beef Ball Pho

The Low-Down
Delicious

Review
This place was near by and I've been wanting to try it for a while. It did not disappoint. The soup was delicious and virtually oil free. There was a decent amount of meat and quite a lot of noodles. Nothing like a hot, steaming bowl of pho on a cold day! I'll definitely be coming back soon.

Pho Accessories

Rare Beef Slice and Beef Ball Pho

Bravo Cucina

1209 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver
604.985.3006

Meal
Dinner

Cost
$$

Appetizer
Bread with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil (Free)

Entree
Spaghetti Arrabiata (replaced Penne)
Wild BC Salmon Linguine in a Cream Sauce

Drink
Peach Iced Tea

Dessert
Peach Tart with a Honey Glaze topped with Jack Daniel's Ice-cream

The Low-Down
Delicious

Review
I love having the mix of balsamic vinegar and olive oil together. I think it's one of the best starters you can have. The bread was also warm, which adds to the deliciousness of it all.

The Spaghetti Arrabiata was very nice. The sauce was done right and the portion was fairly large. It was spicy, but not overwhelming.

The Wild BC Salmon Linguine was a surprise. I tried the salmon first and loved the taste. It was cooked perfectly - not well done so that there was still some juice. It also had a very nice hint of smoke that made it even better! The cream sauce was also delicious. This portion was also fairly large.

We ordered an iced tea and they told us it was a peach iced tea. It was amazing. There was a lot of peach taste and it was not too sweet.

We had finished both our dishes, which was amazing since they were large. But we couldn't help it as it was delicious. The waiter offered a peach tart on special and we couldn't resist as everything else was so good. I'm sure the peach tart was made well, but it didn't jive with our taste buds. We should have known since neither of us were big fans of peach tarts! The honey glaze was nice though, but we didn't like the Jack Daniel's ice-cream that much. Not that it was bad, but I guess we just don't like Jack Daniel's.

Warm Bread

Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

Spaghetti Arrabiata

Wild BC Salmon Linguine in a Cream Sauce

Peach Tart  with a Honey Glaze topped with Jack Daniel's Ice-cream

Monk McQueen's

website
601 Stamps Landing
Vancouver
604.877.1351

Meal
Dinner

Cost
$$$

Appetizer
Effingham & Fanny Bay Oysters with Ponzu sauce

Entree
Grilled Wild Salmon & Jambalaya
10oz Roasted Prime Rib

The Low-Down
Delicious

Review
The oysters here are simply delicious. Great quality and amazing taste.

The Grilled Wild Salmon & Jambalaya was interesting. The salmon was done quite well and was not too dry. However, I was not too fond of the taste of the jambalaya.

The Prime Rib was great. Nothing like a big slab of meat that was cooked perfectly to medium-rare and a wonderful sauce.

Effingham & Fanny Bay (smaller one) Oysters with Ponzu Sauce

 

Grilled Wild Salmon & Jambalaya

 

10oz Roasted Prime Rib