Tasting Journey #42 - Seasons In The Park

Seasons In The Park
Queen Elizabeth Park
604.874.8008
http://www.vancouverdine.com/seasons-park

Located in the Queen Elizabeth Park, this restaurant offered a true tasting journey for both the eyes and the mouth.  Unlike many of the touristy places where they charge you an arm for just the scenery with crappy food, Seasons In The Park actually offered some decent, edible food.

Growing up near this neighbourhood, I cannot remember the countless number of times we had visited the park.  Beautiful hills and flower beds covered this park.  Wedding photos are taken in the gardens.  Surprisingly, the park is not packed.  This visit made me realize that I really like this park. Mostly for the following reason:
- It's got captivating views of the northsore and also downtown Vancouver
- It's got beautiful gardens full of colours
- It's spacious unlike most touristy areas
 This place is perfect for a stroll on a sunny day.  It's got some tourists, but only tourists who are brought here by their local companions. 

Despite so many visits in the past, this is my first time visiting this restaurant.  We did not try their brunch menu this time.  We ended up ordering one appetizer, one from the tasting menu, one pizza, and one of their special entree.  I do have to say that the I was most disappointed with their entree. At $30, I did not taste any uniqueness of the dish. Yes, the coho salmon was very nicely grilled, but it is not worth $30. Beef carpaccio was excellent;  Pizza was unique with chili mascarpone, capers and shrimp; The tasting menu offered a few seasfood at it raw flavour.

beef carpaccio

tasting room: seafood

 

pizza w chili mascarpone

grilled coho salmon w Quinoa

For dessert, we ordered a cheesecake and a lemon pie to share.  Cheesecake was made using goat cheese. I think it is too strong for me, but maybe goat cheese lovers will really enjoy this.  The lemon tart was really good. Strong and sour. I really enjoyed it. Of course, to top it off, we also ordered coffee to compliment the rich flavours of the dessert.

Lemon Pie

Goat Cheese Cake

Quality: Quite good
Price: Reasonable for the scenery + food

This is the perfect place for bringing important visitors, or to enjoy an afternoon tea. 

Tasting Journey #41 - Zakkushi

Zakkushi
823 Denman Street,
Vancouver, B.C. V6G2L7
604.685.1136
http://www.zakkushi.com/


Japanese izakaya that specializes in charcoal grilled skewers (yakitori). The ambiance is similar to Guu.
The restaurant is tiny, and always packed.  Lots of people go there to drink beer and eat skewers on the side.
My favourite yakitori item is their P-Toro.  The pork is soooo juicy, and the sprinkle of salt completely brings out the sweetness of the juice.
My favourite non-yakitori is their Mentaiko Kimchi Udon.

Super juicy P-Toro

Mentaiko Kimchi udon

Of course, yaki-mochi (sticky rice) is also a must try. It is soo crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. 

Grilled Okra topped with bonito flakes is also quite good and unique too.

We ordered a lot of different yakitori's to try out. The plum-flavoured ones are also quite interesting. Brings a freshness that well compliments the grease of the meat.  The only thing that I didn't find extraordinary was the tsukune - a minced chicken wrapped around the skewer.  Maybe it's my own preference, but I think a full piece of chicken much better seals the juice within.

 

We ended up spending around $40 total for the two of us. This is quite an average price for an izakaya place in Vancouver. 

Quality: Excellent
Price: Good
Yes, I would go back again!