Empire Garden

Empire Garden Chinese Restaurant
#100 20378 88th Avenue
Langley, B.C.
604-882-1111
www.empiregarden.ca
Author: AFB Society

Rating: 6.9/10

One late summer evening, my colleague and I were wandering the streets of Walnut Grove searching for some good eats.  We decided to try our luck at Empire Garden.  We had heard good things about this Chinese Restaurant that serves classic dim sum every day.  There was no abligurition to be had this night as we immeidately noticed the food was very moderately priced.  We ordered 4 Egg Rolls, Breaded Almond Chicken, Chicken Chow Mein, Sweet and Sour Pork, Special Chop Suey and Barbeque pork fried rice, all for $40.95 (there were 3 of us...we aren't that chub); we also ordered the duck lettuce wrap which turned out to be an excellent decision.   In fact, the duck lettuce wraps were the tastiest, most succulent dish we ate that night.  Everyone around us ordered it as well.  The rest of the meal was also quite pleasant, accented by the egg rolls and the sweet and sour pork. 

The service was  timely and the atmosphere was inviting.  The servers were friendly and obviously knew a thing or two about aristology. 

We do recommend this well established, authentic dim sum restaurant and we hope that you will enjoy it as much as we did.

再見

Dunn's famous Diner

Dunn's Famous
827 Seymour Street, Vancouver
604-682-8938
Author: AFB Society

Rating: 7/10

Dunn's famous Diner is an iconic Montreal Smoked meat restaurant in the heart of Vancouver; however, its name is somewhat of a misnomer. I was on Granville street with a friend looking for a quick bite to eat so I pulled out my iPhone and quickly found Dunn's on Urbanspoon. It had good reviews so we made our way over and upon arrival discovered a completely desolate, barren, empty diner. Slightly nervous about the lack of customers at 6:30pm on a busy Friday night in Vancity, we decided to risk it anyway. Our server was extremely eager to serve us(she almost seemed shocked at having customers) but she was kind and very helpful in choosing a Menu item. She recommended the Reuben and gave me the choice of lean, medium or fatty cut. The service was impigrous to say the least and the sandwich I received was ludicrously large. As soon as I took a bite I knew I had made a good choice (with a little help from my server). Even better than the sandwich were the French fries. One of the restaurants specialties is poutine and the fries served with my sandwich convinced me it would be a top notch poutine. My friend ordered the burger and complimented the barbecue sauce and although he was not overly impressed, had only good things to say.

Although serving decent quality food, the restaurant was a little on the expensive side ($20 for my Reuben and a cherry soda) but with top notch sandwiches being served, it's a wonder Dunn's famous isn't as famous as the name suggests.

Las Margaritas

Las Margaritas
1999 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
604-734-7117
info@lasmargaritas.com
Author: AFB Society

Rating: 8.5

I have never been a big fan of Mexican cuisine... until a group of my friends and I stumbled upon Las Margaritas after a long day at the beach.  The fact that the doors were overflowing with people is what made it illecebrous; after one look at the menu posted on the restaurants exterior, we knew we had found a place to eat.  There was a 15 minute wait, but that quarter hour flew by as we waited anxiously to enter the eximious eatery.  Once inside, we were seated and ordered promptly.  My colleague and I both ordered the moderately priced Enchiladas San Blas ($14.40).  How can one resist two tortillas filled until bursting with a seafood combination to die for (fresh crab, shrimp and red snapper) and, of course, one cannot forget the Mexican rice and the refried beans. Surrounded by constant hustle and bustle, it was obvious we were not the only ones who found Las Margaritas foudroyant as we waited for our meals to arrive.  We enjoyed the unlimited in-house made tortilla chips and salsa and we were not unimpressed with the service.  In fact, considering that the restaurant was so busy, we expected a longer wait.  As far as we could tell the rest of the menu looked just as scrumptious. Also, if you are looking for a great place to enjoy a drink and a meal, the martinis being served were tempting.

All in all, Las Margarita offers great bang for your buck as the food is exquisite and the overall, authentic atmosphere only leaves you wanting more.

We plan on enjoying another meal at Las Margaritas as soon as possible.

¡Adios!

Sophie's Cosmic Cafe

Sophie's Cosmic Cafe
2095 West 4th Avenue 
Vancouver, BC V6J 1M7, Canada
Author: The AFB Society

Rating: 5.2/10

The proof is in the pudding: a perfectly enjoyable, sunny day spent in Vancouver and at the beach can be marred by a poor restaurant choice.  Despite the effervescent atmosphere, friendly staff, quaint setting, and great location, the food was crap.  We ordered milkshakes to start off which were delicious and got us excited for the meal but when it arrived, we were very disappointed.  I ordered the burger which is featured on their menu as a premium option but was overcooked and served on a slightly stale bun.  The fries were average but nothing special.  My colleague ordered the fried oyster burger which was "okay" but nothing to go home and rant to friends about.  Our mutual comrade ordered the BLT which he enjoyed however he "[has] had better".  Not much more can be said other than if you are in the Kitsilano region, we suggest you go to Las Margaritas.  A deliciously fresh Mexican restaurant. 

The prices were average ($10-12 per entree) however obviously not worth it.

#tipyourwaiters

Japan Sushi

Japan Sushi
403 8840 210th St
Langley, BC
Author: AFB Society

Rating: 7.8/10

We like sushi. So it's only natural for another sushi restaurant to make an early appearance in our blog.  Japan Sushi has a calm and modern atmosphere, but lacks authenticity.  Since we are not Japanese, we may not be in a position to label it as such; however, despite it's name, the establishment is run by Koreans.  That being said, the staff is very kind and the lunchtime aura is active and adrenaline inducing to say the least (the proximity of the high school makes for a very busy lunchtime hour (not really, its a half hour)).  After recovering from our initial confusion over the identity conundrum, we were able to quickly order food and have it arrive in a timely manner.  On the menu this particular day was a rainbow roll ($6.75), a California roll topped off with thin strips of avocado and sashimi.  Personally, it turned to be a new and fresh addition to an old classic.  We also ordered a spicy tuna roll ($4.75; as good as any), a calamari roll, ($4.95; did not disappoint), a dynamite roll ($4.75; not much to say here), a spicy chopped scallop roll ($4.95) which was unfortunately not as spicy as we would have liked, and finally a salmon tempura roll ($4.75) that was fresh and tasty.

We will leave you with a glowing recommendation and an open invitation to Japan Sushi. 

Ciao for now.    

Mazaj Best Donair

Mazaj Best Donair
404 - 8840 210th St
Langley Twp, BC V1M
Author: The AFB Society

Rating: 7.2/10

Mazaj Best Donair: a classic staple of the Walnut Grove area.  Fresh ingredients, timely and welcoming service, and an all around pleasant dining experience are all mainstays at this magnificent Mediterranean local.  We ordered a supersized beef donair (holy chub, double the size for a few dollars more!) and a regular lamb donair.  Both were impeccably prepared and tasted as good as they looked.  The tzatziki sauce and hummus are both home made and perfectly round off a truly exquisite ensemble of top notch good-eats.

The prices are relatively low, approximately 10 dollars for a super sized donair.  The hummus and tzatziki can be purchased individually on-site as well.  Definitely an excellent choice for anyone in the Grove area.

Akane Sushi

Akane Sushi

20349 88th Ave, Suite 7A
Langley, BC V1M2K5 

Author: The AFB society

 

Rating: 8.5/10 

 

For the inaugural entry into our food blog....a voluptuous review of Akane Sushi to stimulate the senses.  As we began our journey to document the fine cuisine of the Walnut Grove area, we thought it appropriate to commence with one of the West Coast's most favoured foods: sushi.  Akane has a welcoming environment with the chef's hat being a trademark and fan favourite of the restaurant (seriously check it out, it's huge).  The menu is diverse, offering many succulent variations of classic Japanese sushi.  We ordered two spicy chopped scallop rolls, some tuna sashimi (a personal favourite), two dynamite rolls, and an unagi roll (fresh water eel for those of you not well versed in the Japanese language).  All of it was exquisite! However, the spicy chopped scallop roll topped the list having just the right amount of spice.  Oh and the miso soup was good too btw.  From what we could see on the menu and from our past dining experience, all the other dishes we tried were top notch as well.  Overall, Akane Sushi produces Walnut Grove's best sushi: some of THE best sushi we have ever had.  

Although on the slightly expensive side (approx. 6$ p/roll), it was well worth it.  We strongly recommend this institution of fine cuisine and hope to see you there in the near or far future.

 

 

Fooood

Vancouver has some pretty good restaurants and places to eat but where is the best? Graham Kasper and I (Ethan Wilkinson) have set out to discover the answer(mostly just for an excuse to have some good eats). Tune in as we post pictures and reviews of some Chubbin good food!