cupcakes, coffee and dinner (in that order)

What: hanging with friends and forming new "bromances"
Where: Aqua Riva
When: Dinner
Why: Vancouver Dineout 2011 continues!

Red velvet cupcake with pink butter-cream icing found at your local Starbucks. So pretty... and SO GOOD.

Started off with a drink: pink grapefruit margarita with gold leaf salted rim.

Grilled scallops with couscous in kiwi sauce.

My friend ordered the grilled salmon with butter leek risotto and garnished with sweet corn and black beans.

Wood grilled prawns served with fennel pesto pasta.

Banana chocolate cake. That's a large slice of dried banana on top as a garnish. Tasty, but I think I want more chocolate in my chocolate cake, if that makes any sense.

you had me at 'dessert buffet'

What: Griffins Restaurant
Where: at the Hotel Vancouver
When: Dinner time
Why: Vancouver Dineout 2011

There are few things in life that can cause my heart to skip a beat, and hearing the sweet words, "dessert buffet" is one of them. It only took me 5 minutes to make the reservations (thank you Opentable!) and me and my sister found ourselves practically skipping to the restaurant on a Sunday night. Now, this is not to take away from the actual dinner that we feasted on: My sister enjoyed her seafood chowder and salmon entree (perfectly cooked and fresh) and I thoroughly savoured the onion tart and artichoke ravioli. I have to admit, I was starting to feel a little full from dinner, but I made sure there was enough room somewhere above my liver for dessert. Four different types of desserts to sample and we happily waddled our way home.

My dining partner in crime has the Chef's special soup of the day: seafood chowder

I ordered the Caramelized Onion Tart house-made served with tomato jam and frisee salad

Grilled West Coast Salmon blue crab and corn croquette, leek fondue.

Artichoke Ravioli ratatouille, grilled asparagus, white wine cream.

Chocolate mint mousse cake

Strawberry apple custard cake with coconut

White and milk chocolate mousse cup

Can never go wrong with flan!

100 days

What: 100 Days
Where: At the Opus Hotel
When: Dinner
Why: Vancouver Dineout 2011 is on!

100 Days takes over from where the Elixar Bistro use to be at the Opus Hotel. A unique collaboration of graffiti art and food, this pop restaurant serves up Mediterranean fare inspired by the artwork on the walls. I'm not quite sure how this concept works, but the food was great.

This totally reminds of Jem, from Jem and the Holograms cartoon show back in the 1980's. It's the hair.

My dining buddy had the Italian Onion Soup: osso bucco broth, wild mushrooms, cippolini onions, fontina & mozzarella crust. Comfort food at its best.

I ordered the Smoked Tuna Carpaccio ‘Nicoise:’ poached quails egg, capers, olives, baby tomato vinaigrette. Absolutely delicious. This dish reminded me of how much I love tuna.

 My dining buddy ordered the Stuffed chicken breast served with vegetables. Excuse the flash; the lighting was pretty bad inside and the weak flame from the candle centerpiece didn't help the situation.

My entree was the Lobster & Crab ‘Mac & Cheese’ Atlantic lobster, Dungeoness crab, gratin cheese crust & Hennessy lobster bisque. So good but also so very rich and filling.

The Baked Apple Pie à la mode (individual apple pie, house made cheddar cheese ice cream) looked really good and smelled delicious.

For my dessert, I pretty much devoured the Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie served with vanilla ice-cream. 

Side note: At one point during dinner, I looked up from my mac & cheese and guess who was standing less than an arm's length away from my table? George Stroumboulopoulos. That totally made my night ♥