Year: 2015 (Page 9 of 14)

New Town Bakery & Restaurant: “Delicious lunch place”

12th August 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

This place in the heart of China Town in Vancouver is both a bakery and a restaurant. The restaurant is clearly very popular by the locals, so it is possible you’ll have to queue to get a table.

If you like no-nonsense Chinese food, this place is great. If you are looking for a romantic place for wining and dining, look elsewhere. It is very well possible you’ll be seated with unknowns at the same table.

The food is absolutely delicious. I ordered the noodle soup with fish balls and wonton. It really was excellent. The broth of the soup was very savory. My boyfriend had the beef with pepper accompanied by rice. I had a little taste and this dish was really perfectly balanced. We also ordered some shrimp dumplings. Those dumplings were absolutely great. One of the best shrimp dumplings I’ve had in my life.

I was really impressed by how fast we were served. This is a fast food joint, but with healthy options. And a cheap one too, I must add. Main courses are about 10 Canadian dollar.

Portions are huge, but that isn’t necessary a problem. Staff is used to scooping the unfinished portions of the meals in a doggy bag to take home. So you can enjoy the rest of your meal later on.

An excellent place for a quick lunch!

New Town Bakery & Restaurant, 148 Pender St E, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
http://www.newtownbakery.ca/
+1 604-682-3398

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about New Town Bakery & Restaurant also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 5/5.

Vancouver Lookout: “Pricy, but what a view!”

12th August 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

We went here on al beautiful summer evening. There was no line whatsoever, so it look all of five minutes to enjoy the view. Spectacular view on Mount Baker.

Vancouver Lookout, 555 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 4N6, Canada
http://www.vancouverlookout.com/
+1 604-689-0421

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Vancouver Lookout also on TripAdvisor.

Harbour Green Park: “Nice park close to the harbour”

12th August 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

We came here by accident, but were pleasantly surprised by this lovely park. It is not busy and you have a great view on the nearby harbour. Ideal for a leisurely stroll.

Harbour Green Park, 1199 Cordova St W, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 0A1, Canada
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/parks-gardens-and-beaches.aspx

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Harbour Green Park also on TripAdvisor.

Best Western Plus Uptown Hotel: “OK Hotel”

12th August 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

This hotel is up to the standards of Best Western. Our room was clean and equipped with everything we needed (bath products, hair dryer, water boiler, coffee maker..) We would have loved for the bed to be a bit bigger though. We both love some space while sleeping. Airco was very noisy. Free wifi was available.

The hotel is located at half an hour walking from the touristic center. Nearby are lots of good and reasonably priced restaurants.

Breakfast was continental. Nothing special, but enough for a good start of the day. Everyday there was an egg preparation and some meat, cereals, bread, some pastries, fresh fruit and yoghurt. There idea of scrambled eggs was a bit different than the norm, but it was fine. You also could make your own waffles. I found it strange that you had to trow away your plates and cutlery after the meal was finished. Too much of a hassle to clean the plates?

The breakfast room was small for such a big hotel, but it never got too crowded. We took our breakfast very early (at about 6.45u) so I don’t know if seating would be a problem when you eat later.

I found the staff at the reception to be a bit indifferent. Didn’t feel very welcome and when we had a question about bus tickets, the answer was rather short.

The biggest problem we had with this hotel was the noise of the many many pigeons. I guess some had built nests on the air conditioning shafts. The sounds they produced woke me up many times at night. At one moment I even thought a pigeon got into the room, because of the loud noise. We stayed in room 412. I don’t know if other rooms also have this problem.

Best Western Plus Uptown Hotel, 205 Kingsway, Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 3J5, Canada (Formerly BEST WESTERN PLUS Uptown Hotel)

Stayed July 2015. You can find my review about Best Western Plus Uptown Hotel also on TripAdvisor. My scores: location 3/5, rooms 3/5, service 3/5.

Wendella Sightseeing Boats: “Very interesting boat trip”

11th August 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

I can highly recommend the architecture tour an the Chicago River. A lovely way to get to know the city and its marvellous architecture better. Staff on board is very professional and the guide really knew a lot about the buildings. She was also open to extra questions.

Boats come equipped with toilets and a café, if you like some beverages during your trip. The inside of the boat has air conditioning, but we preferred sitting outside to have the best views.

It doesn’t matter if you take this boat ride during the day or during the night. You will definitely enjoy it.

Wendella Sightseeing Boats, 400 North Michigan Ave, Departing from Michigan Ave at the historic Wrigley Building, Chicago, IL 60611
https://www.wendellaboats.com/
+1 312-337-1446

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Wendella Sightseeing Boats also on TripAdvisor.

Palazzo Borromeo: “Magical palace on Isola Bella”

11th August 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

What a beautiful place: full of beautiful architecture and history (Napoleon once staid here). The beautifully landscaped gardens are full of flowers and statues. The view on the lake is breath taking. The name Isola Bella couldn’t be more right.

Entrance for the palace and the gardens is a bit on the pricey side, but I feel like I got my money’s worth. Don’t drink anything in the garden café though, it is horrible overpriced.

Palazzo Borromeo, Stresa, Isola Bella, Italy
http://www.isoleborromee.it/imadre-palazzo.html
100

Visited June 2015. You can find my review about Palazzo Borromeo also on TripAdvisor.

Osteria del Crimine: “Nice place for a lunch on Isola Bella”

11th August 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Isola Bella in itself is a gorgeous place to visit. We arrived at lunch time, so we went looking for a place to eat. In all honesty we didn’t expect much, because the place is really touristy. But hey, a short walk from where the ferry docked, we found Ostera del Crimine. I was charmed by the lovely terrace in the sun (don’t worry, there are also tables in the shade).

We decided on taking the ‘tourist menu’, hey, we were tourists after all. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The menu was actually quite good and service was friendly. As as starter I had a ravioloni stuffed with see bass and leek with courgette cream, which was very savory. My fish main course, the fillet of see bass with mediterranean sauce and salad was basic but tasty. To top the meal of my boyfriend and I enjoyed a very well made tiramisu. We never had to wait long to get the next course. Not bad for less than 20 euros.

Osteria del Crimine, Via del Voltone 13 Isola Bella, 28838, Stresa, Italy
https://www.ristoranteisolabella.it/
+39 0323 934630

Visited June 2015. You can find my review about Osteria del Crimine also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Fattoria Pasque’: “Great home made icecream”

14th July 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

I can’t comment on the food in this place, because we only had ice cream. The ice cream is really excellent: fresh and made from the milk of the cows from their own farm. No wonder the line was so long when we ordered our gelato. Do try the ‘milk’ flavour, a taste you won’t find in many other ice cream shops.

This really is a great place to visit with kids. There are various playgrounds and different animals to look at or even pat on the back. You will find the classic farm animals and even some llamas and ostriches. It is possible to ride on a pony also. Children will definitely have a blast here.

Fattoria Pasque’, Via Primo Maggio 11, 21020 Casale Litta, Italy
http://www.pasque.it/
+39 0332 948307

Visited May 2015. You can find my review about Fattoria Pasque’ also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Ellis Gourmet Burger – Place St Catherine: “For burger lovers”

7th July 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

I went to Ellis Gourmet Burger with colleagues for a quick lunch. We ate outside on the terrace because it was such a beautiful day. Service was very friendly and welcoming. I was no trouble at all to accomodate to our special wishes (no onions, extra cheese, no buns). Food arrived quickly and costed about 10 euros for a burger.

If you love burgers, this restaurant is for you, although I have to admit I find the ‘gourmet’ aspect a little bit exaggerated. My portobello burger was nice but contained too much sauce for my liking and too little goat cheese. Two little tomatoes were the only thing accompanying the burger. Luckily I ordered the coleslaw, which was very nice.

My colleagues who ordered the meat burgers liked them fine though. The meat was cooked as ordered and everything was served as asked.

With our meal we drank their lime kiwi lemonade, but we were a little bit disappointed by it. Too sweat for our taste.

This restaurant can get crowded though, even at lunch. So make sure to come early to have a table.

Ellis Gourmet Burger – Place St Catherine, Place Sainte-Catherine 4, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://ellisgourmetburger.be/nl
+32 2 514 23 14

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Ellis Gourmet Burger – Place St Catherine also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 4/5, food 3/5.

Shanghai: “Oriental style food for a very good price”

5th July 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

We went for dinner in restaurant Shanghai after a visit to Pairi Daiza. We parked our car right in front of the restaurant, very convenient. We sat outdoors on the terrace looking out over the garden. Tip for parents: there is a small playground for the children in the huge garden. The restaurant itself is big and spacious. A little tacky maybe, but it is an Oriental restaurant after all.

Staff was friendly and accomodating. On the menu you’ll find Chinese and Thai cuisine. We all opted for Thai cuisine. The food arrived quickly and was great, considering the price. I only paid 13,50 euro for my Ti pan with beef. The portion was big en the meat was served sizzling in a small pan. The duck was a little bit dry, but besides that, the taste of the dish was great.

If you’re a fan of oriental food, this is a great place. Prices are low, so you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.

Shanghai, Rue du Sewoir 115, Lens 7870, Belgium
+32 65 22 99 72

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Shanghai also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.