Roar Cat Reads

Tag: Restaurants

  • Chung Chun Rice Hot Dog

    Chung Chun Rice Hot Dog

    This tiny corner restaurant opened a couple months ago at the corner of Robson and Denman in the West End of Vancouver. I live across the street, and every time I went by, there was an epically long line outside. Now, I love a good corn dog, but what could possibly be so amazing as to warrant that kind of time commitment?

    Cut to: Me eating my first Chung Chun Rice Hot Dog and forsaking all other hot dog creations for the rest of my life. This shit is GOOD.

    I got to work from home one Friday, and I figured this was my chance to avoid the huge lines. There are two: one to walk in and place your order, at which point you join the line on the other side of the door to wait for your order number to be called. I was able to go with no wait to enter the small space, where I ordered the Sausage-tteok (Rice cake) Hotdog and Rachel got a Mozzarella Cheese Hotdog. All of the corn dogs come with a special breading made of “sticky rice in dough that fermented for 120 minute every morning,” according to their website, though some additionally have potato or ramen added to the breading.

    Guys! It was absolutely delicious! The Mozzarella Cheese Hotdog is half cheese, half hot dog, and when Rachel bit into the cheese it had the most appealing cheese pull I’ve ever seen. I can only imagine it tasted as good based on the fact that she refused to share.

    Totally fair, because I wasn’t about to give up one bite of my Sausage-tteok Hotdog. Nor did I give up the second one I ate less than a week later. I am stuck in the deliciously terrible situation of having loved the first thing I ever ate at Chung Chun, and now I don’t want to try anything else. Which is a pity, because that ramen corn dog is looking pretty good…

  • Dine Out Vancouver

    Dine Out Vancouver

    This year was the first time that I had heard of the Dine Out Vancouver Festival, and I’ve got to say, more people should be talking about this!

    From February 5 to March 7, 2021, TONS of restaurants served special set menus to show off their best appetizers, entrees, and desserts for a reduced price. Their site allows you to search by restaurant, menu price, cuisine, and neighborhood. I found far too many places that I wanted to try, but in the end, I enjoyed Dine Out menus at two different places.

    1. Sylvia Restaurant & Lounge

      For $45, I got House Made Goat Cheese Ravioli (with chardonnay cream, curly endive, sweet chili pepper, and blood orange), Rossdown Farms Chicken Breast (with yam and potato pave, braised red cabbage, carrots, and vadouvan jus), and a Dark Chocolate Torte (with vanilla ice cream and mixed berry compote).

      It was entirely too much and super delicious, particularly the ravioli and torte.
    2. The Greek by Anatoli

      For $35, I got Saganaki (traditional Greek cheese, crispy, served with pita), Chicken Souvlaki (grilled and finished with garlic butter and lemon, served with rice, potatoes, and vegetables), and Ekmek (vanilla and bourbon custard with angel hair filo).

      Eating an entire portion of saganaki was a bad gastrointestinal idea, but I wouldn’t change my decision for anything. And the ekmek! Oh my goodness. I could have shoveled it into my mouth for hours.

    In addition to appreciating the reduced cost for a delicious meal, I also liked how Dine Out encouraged me to try new restaurants and venture into new areas of the city I love.

    Dine Out Vancouver is still going strong for two more days, so don’t miss out! And if if you do, put it in your calendar for next year. I know I will.