palki | indian cuisine on commercial drive

last week, the boyfriend & i ate at palki, an indian restaurant on commercial drive. i quite enjoyed this food experience. (which in this case involved me stuffing myself then proceeding to take the leftovers home & stuff myself again. i don't eat leftovers. unless its ethiopian or otherwise amazing)

palki is located where the restaurants rime and lime used to be. it doesn't stand out from the sidewalk, & i know i have walked past it a few times not knowing it was there. but inside, it is spacious, simple, & classy. it isn't overly elegant, but the decor also isn't tacky. the tables are all a dark wood, which i love, and the color scheme is simple with greys, blacks & bits of purple.

we sat at a window table & enjoyed the sun streaming in while we people watched. (people-watching on the drive is always quite fun.)

the boyfriend is great: waiting patiently for me to take photos, before he can eat. he also doubles as a hand model in his spare time.

full liquor bar at the back of the restaurant. water is served in beautiful jars made of panchaloha (mixture of 5 metals that keeps water cooler than room temperature, with no need for ice)

appetizer platter: veggie pakora, chicken pakora, veggie samosas. 3 dips: green chutney, tamarind sauce, & raita (yogurt & herbs). my favorite appetizer combination: veggie pakora dipped in the tamarind & the raita.

channa masala. it was good, but not the best i've ever had. i love that they serve the entrees on dishes with candles underneath to keep them warm. your food will not get too cold here.

butter chicken. so creamy. so tasty.

mixed grill platter from the tandoor oven. lamb shishkabobs, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka (murgmalai tikka), and prawn tikka. marinated in their housemade yogurt raita, the chicken & prawn tikka were tender & delicious. i didn't fancy the lamb shishkabobs much, but the chicken tikka is a definite must order, in my humble opinion.

this is the raita made from their own yogurt. yeah. pretty and delicious.

your indian food experience just isn't the same without naan. we had both the plain naan & the garlic naan. the garlic naan could be inhaled on its own it is so flavorful. but the plain naan is good for dipping in the curries or eating with the meat. or just dipping into the raita. (i really love the raita. can you tell?)

next time you are looking for excellent indian food for an average budget, definitely check out palki. if you are new to indian cuisine, this is a great place to start your journey. you won't look back.

palki restaurant
1130 commercial drive
604.215.1130
lunch buffet m-f 11:30-2:30
s & s lunch 11:30 - 2:30
dinner everyday 2:30 - 10:00

little nest in east van

little nest is a lovely cafe just off commercial drive on charles street. in the lovely east vancouver neighbourhood. its beautiful, full of light from a huge wall of pure window facing north. full of mismatched furniture and an abundance of childrens' toys and highchairs. its very child friendly, which is awesome for moms and dads who want to go out for coffee or brunch with their friends but worry about whether there will be room or entertainment for their little ones. there is at little nest. lots of it. not to mention excellent coffee and delicious meals.

great place to meet friends for brunch. i did just that a couple weekends ago. i wanted to try the egg & soldiers (soft-boiled egg with toasted baguette) but felt a bit more hungry than that.

so i got french toast. it was served with fresh pineapple, whipped lime curd, crushed pistachios, and maple syrup. it was heavenly. it sounded so unusual i had to try it. it felt a little pricey at $12 when i initially ordered it, but it was worth it. oh yes.

my friend had some kind of fritatta and mushroom special. it looked awesome.

rice pudding. i didn't have it, but tried my friend's. tasty.

my one complaint about little nest (from my 2 experiences) was that the sandwich i had was a little bit dry. the beets were tasty, and made for a gorgeous mess on the plate. i took my leftover half home and re-toasted it with some mayo and more cheese and it was a lot better.

they serve ethical bean coffee. i've had the coffee at little nest twice now and i can't complain.

(i love it when coffee is served in a glass glass. for some really bizarre reason it actually makes me really happy. i'm crazy. i know.)

little nest
1716 charles st
9am to 4pm
every day
(kitchen closes at 3pm)
604.251.9994

saigon noodle restaurant - pasadena, ca

i tried pho for the first time in my life this past january, when i was in california. my boyfriend and i were visiting my best friend & her boyfriend for a couple short days. our first evening, we set out to eat korean barbeque in pasadena. when we got there, we discovered it had disappeared. goes to show the internet is not always updated. so we went to saigon noodle restaurant instead.

pasadena has really interesting crosswalks. there's a crosswalk light for people to walk diagonally across the street, instead of crossing one way and then the other. it was bizarre walking in the middle of the intersection. but very cool. great idea for a place that has lots of walking traffic.

but i digress.

one thumbs up for these chopsticks.


what i loved about this place was the abundance of fresh mint. the chicken spring rolls we ordered came stuffed with fresh mint, among other veggies, and a peanut dipping sauce along side. i wasn't crazy about the sauce, but i think i was comparing it to indonesian peanut sauce, which is simply divine when made right.

my friend got the grilled beef salad. it looked tasty, and i know there was mint in it too.

i was a bit afraid to order the rare steak pho, so i ordered the well done flank pho instead. worst decision i ever made. it was mostly fat, and i did my best to avoid eating them. the broth was tasty though, and we got a plate full of extra goodies, to garnish our bowls to our taste-buds. lime, bean sprouts, green onion.... i don't know if i was expected to finish that huge bowl all by myself. maybe it was the flank, or maybe it was the bowl that was twice the size of my head, but i couldn't finish the thing.

everything we got off the menu was about $7 each. that feels very reasonable to me, but i've never had pho before, so i don't know how much it usually goes for. if i lived in the la-area, i'd probably go back. and now i will have to try some pho here in vancouver. anyone know of a good spot?


saigon noodle restaurant
28 n raymond ave
pasadena, ca, 91103
626.796.9378
hours: mon-sun: 11 am - 9 pm

lucy's eastside diner: open every hour of every day

lucy's eastside diner.

a newish 24-hour diner on main street and 11th. mix of moderately-priced diner & trendy, youthful main street culture. on the walls hang vegan versions of deer antlers - bike handles.

i've eaten here twice. both times because i was hungry & in the area after normal places close. it was bright & cheerful inside, i like the orange tables & the light turquoise walls. the booths at the back are nice & cozy for 2 people, but really tight to fit more than that. other than those 3 miniature booths at the back and a good amount of bar seating, there are a couple larger booths at the front. i haven't been during peak times yet, but i can imagine seating would be tight. i don't think i'd go to lucy's with a large group.

the food was decently priced. it won't stretch your wallet too much, but its also no bon's. everything on the menu seemed to range from $6-$10, and you can get a burger, fries & shake combo for $10.


the coffee is your average drip-diner coffee. coffee mugs are random shapes & sizes, and the corel mug made me feel like i was at my parent's home. nostalgia is lovely.

like a good vancouver restaurant, they have veggie options - burgers, sandwiches, salads..

when we were walking in, the lady coming out told us the mac and cheese was to die for. my friend had to get it. it was alright, she said, but not the best ever.

but i'm not a mac and cheese kind of person. i am in love with eggs & breakfast. when i eat out, and there is breakfast on the menu, its highly unlikely that i will choose a non-breakfast item. so at a 24hour diner serving all day and night breakfast, what do you think i ate?

the first time i got the down south breaky - baked beans, seasoned rice, poached eggs, monterey jack, & sour cream. it was pretty good! my only complaint was that i asked for cooked whites & runny yolks & got overpoached eggs instead. i know poached eggs are tricky, but its hard to let a badly poached egg go when its not that busy in a place.

my second visit, i wasn't terribly hungry when i came in, and yet i somehow managed to share a bacon eggs benedict with my boyfriend, and eat a large pancake by myself. the benny was decent, but it didn't stand out, and was a little dry. not sure if the hollandaise was homemade or not, but i assume a diner with a cheap priced benny would probably use pre-made stuff. i could be wrong. next time i'll ask. the pancake was delicious. i can't remember how good it was, like i can remember how good the pancakes are at crave just up the street, but the one side pancake i ate was just enough to quench my pancake craving.

all-in-all, i liked lucy's but i didn't love it. i don't think that's a bad thing, though. you wouldn't go to lucy's expecting a fine-dining experience, but you also won't be paying the same price. i know i'll be back. they're open 24 hour, they serve breakfast, and i love breakfast any time of day. and one of these days i'll stuff my breakfast cravings & try their burger, fries & shake combo.

where to find lucy's:

2708 main street, just off 11th

604.568.1550
lucyseastsidediner.com

hours: all