And not only is it a sandwich shop, it’s a damn fine sandwich shop.

So, you want a little back story, right?

I’d gone to Bonchaz way back in the day and I’d reviewed it for another website. It was good. Just good. Bonchaz, the little rounds of soft bread with something sweet sprinkled on top or tucked away inside, were good. Not blow-your-mind, thinking-about-it-at-midnight-when-you’re-staring-at-an-empty-fridge sort of way. Just good. (With the exception of the soup, mind you. That was so good that I mentioned it in a previous Vancouver Bites post here.)

So when Kev and Bill from vaneats.ca asked me if I wanted to review it for their upcoming dining pass deal, I was a little on the fence. I even wrote back and said, “Hey, I reviewed Bonchaz a long time ago when they opened their first location, you sure you want me to do this again?” They said I should at least give it a try.

So, for once, I made a very intelligent decision and went to try out the new Bonchaz location at the corner of Broadway and Main.

Oh boy. Their new sandwich menu is really good. And really cheap. Basically it is a great sandwich (+soup!) shop for anyone like me: a regular person who likes good food at a good price. It’s even good for people not like me, say vegetarians and vegans (they have soup and sandwich options for those peeps too).

The dining pass is a soup, sandwich, and bonchaz for $6.50. Say whaaaaaaa?! Yep, SIX FIFTY! This is a steal, folks. A damn steal. Go buy one now. Seriously.

So, I got the Avocado & Brie sandwich with Vegan Chili and a Chocolate Truffle Bonchaz. Drooool.

The Vegan Chili was tasty and hearty and with a bit more of a kick than I expected from a vegan chili. That’s not to say that it was spicy, per se. But a little bit of a kick.

Bonchaz Bakery Vegan Chili

The sandwich, oh my god, the sandwich. Wow. Ok, this sandwich is regularly like $7-something, which even at that price seems like a freakin’ steal. HUGE chunks of brie and avocado, thick slices of tomato and cucumber, and a drizzle of sweet vinaigrette.

Bonchaz Bakery Avocado & Brie Sandwich

And then, to top it off: The Bonchaz. Again, I’d had the bonchaz before and I was ambivalent. It was good. But this new Chocolate Truffle Bonchaz is a winner. A winner, folks.

Bonchaz Bakery Chocolate Truffle Bonchaz

Inside that unassuming exterior is a a whole chocolate truffle. Oh boy. This bonchaz is quite tasty. I’d even go so far as to say I’d take one over a chocolate croissant and I am rather fond of chocolate croissants.

So, how good is the new Bonchaz Bakery? Good enough that I went back a week later.

I took my Little Man and together we purchased a Pulled Pork Sandwich (minus the slaw) and Chocolate Truffle Bonchaz for him and a Beef Bulgogi Sandwich and a large bowl of Bacon and Mushroom Soup for me. The total came to just shy of $20 and I was so full that I couldn’t even finish my sandwich! Little Man was similarly stuffed by his meal.

Here is a pic of his Pulled Pork Sandwich (costing less than $6), which was very bar-be-quey and delicious (even without the coleslaw).

Bonchaz Bakery Pulled Pork Sandwich

My sandwich, the Beef Bulgogi, was very tasty. I could see all kinds of interesting veggies in it, although I couldn’t quite make out what they were. Carrots. Onions. Other stuff.

Also, it was a really big sandwich. Definitely worth the regular price. Now I liked this sandwich, but my own personal preference would lead me to get a Pulled Pork or Avocado & Brie Sandwich next time. Still good though.

Bonchaz Bakery Beef Bulgogi Sandwich

Lastly, the delectable Bacon and Mushroom Soup. I’ve raved about this before and while it seems they’ve tweaked the recipe, it’s even better now—how is that possible? It is so good that Little Man liked it. And he usually refuses to even taste anything with mushrooms in it.

Bonchaz Bakery Bacon & Mushroom Soup

So what’s the morale of this story? Don’t get sidetracked by the “Bakery” in Bonchaz’s  name. It is more like a delicious deli at heart. It is more—oh so much more!—than a place to get baked goods and coffee. I would heartily recommend that you buy a dining pass, but even if you don’t, the regular prices are very good for the quality taste you get at Bonchaz. Not to mention they have daily deals and discounts for students.

The location on Broadway will definitely become one of my regular go-to places for a soup + sandwich.

Bonchaz Bakery
189 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5T 1W2
604-875-1128

Disclaimer: I did not pay for my food during my first visit to Bonchaz. I did, however, pay for my own meal at all subsequent visits. As I will do again and again and again.

Despite my mother’s Southern roots, I’ve never had crawfish. Texas ≠ Louisiana and, apparently, there are some gaps in my knowledge and experience of Southern food. Having Emily with me filled those gaps. Also, she is very entertaining and I need to be constantly entertained.

We started with the Southern Boil. You choose your seasoning and spice level. I chose the Cray Mix at “Medium” spiciness. That was a very good choice in terms of flavour, although I will probably choose “Spicy” next time.

Cray Kitchen + Bar Southern Boil

The first thing I noticed was that 1 pound of shrimp and crawfish is a lot more food than I expected and I was suddenly re-thinking my decision to add an order of calamari and an order of yam fries. Oops.

Emily said the crawfish were cooked to perfection. I thought the shrimp just popped in my mouth. We both thought the sauce was addicting. Perhaps the secret secret ingredient is crack cocaine? Yeah, it is that good.

That’s a lot of seafood!

Next up were the yam fries and calamari. I thought these were two items I would like order if I came back, so I wanted to try them out. The yam fries were good and we received a well-sized portion for $4.99. The calamari was surprisingly good. I say “surprisingly” because I am a calamari snob and I’m always skeptical of non-Greeks doing calamari. This calamari was tender and delicious and not rubbery at all. The portion was well worth $9.99 and I would definitely order it again.

Battered + Fried Calamari

Last up was our oysters, cod, and fries. I am not a fan of fried oysters, but Emily said they were perfectly cooked: crispy on the outside; juicy on the inside. They were also freakin’ huge oysters! The cod was tasty, although one piece was a little cool on the inside. Not quite cold, but also not quite as cooked as I would have liked. The fries were also good.

The dining pass would have filled both of us and I think it is safe to say that it is a dinner for two, although if I would order anything extra, it would be something to soak up the extra sauce in the Southern Boil. My one suggestion for improvement for Cray Kitchen would be to add garlic bread to their menu just for this purpose. Nom nom nom nom.

Dining passes go on sale any day now at vaneats.ca.

Cray Kitchen + Bar
2470 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5T 3E3
604.568.8588

Disclosure: I did not pay for the Dining Pass items. I paid for my own alcohol, the yam fries, and the calamari. Emily paid for her alcohol and an extra pound of crawfish to go. Our service was fantastic, but of course, they knew we were there for the review, so I didn’t mention that above. Will I be back with my own money to pay for another meal? Yes. I already know that I’m going to order 1 pound of shrimp. I just can’t stop thinking about the shrimp…

So ANYWAY, Voodoo Doughnut’s original location is in Portland, Oregon and it has been the be-all/end-all in doughnuts for a few years now. Despite the fact that I lived in Portland for ten years before moving to Vancouver, I had never tried them. It was actually starting to drive me a little batty because it seemed like every time I read a new Vancouver food blogger post, they were bragging about their Voodoo Doughnut experience. Grrr!

The last time I went to Portland, I made it my number one priority to get VD. I didn’t actually make it to their Portland location, but I was able to swing by their store in Eugene, Oregon. I am now proud to say, “Yes, I’ve acquired VD and lived to tell the tale!”

The thing is, all the hype…well, it sort of sent my expectations skyrocketing. So much so, that when I finally tried the doughnuts, they just couldn’t live up to the hype.

Don’t get me wrong, VD doughnuts are good, but not great. Some are better than others. They have so many doughnuts, and so many gimmicky doughnuts in particular, and I tried most of them. After all the different ones that I sampled, I have to say that I liked the more basic doughnuts the best.

Just to clarify, I tried:

Triple chocolate penetration
Chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting and coco-puffs!

The Loop
Raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting and Fruit Loops!

Captain my Captain
Raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting and Captain Crunch!

Portland Cream
Raised yeast doughnut filled with Bavarian cream with chocolate on the top and two eyeballs!

Bacon Maple Bar
Raised yeast doughnut with maple frosting and bacon on top!

Voodoo Doll
Raised yeast doughnut filled with raspberry jelly topped with chocolate frosting and a pretzel stake!

Dirt doughnut
Raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting and Oreos!

Mango Tango
Raised yeast doughnut filled with mango jelly and topped with vanilla frosting and tang!

Those descriptions are direct quotes, straight from the VD website, by the way.

Doughnuts!

More doughnuts!

My favourite—by far—was the Maple Bacon Bar, as it was the only one to truly wow me. The Mango Tango came in a distant second. The rest were meh: all show and no substance. Still yet, I would definitely go back for a Maple Bacon Bar and their super-fly decorations.

Voodoo Doughnut
20 East Broadway at Willamette Ave.
Eugene, Oregon, USA 97401
541-868-8666

So without further ado, here are my current favourite Vancouver Macs.

#1. Acme Cafe, Mac and Cheese, $9. Still my favourite, Acme’s Mac proves that something doesn’t have to be expensive in order to be delicious! This classic mac’n'cheese is creamy and cheesy on the inside, with a thick cap of melted cheddar cheese. Comes with a side salad. Add bacon for $2.

#2. Jethro’s Fine Grub, Cinqo Queso Macaroni, with added pulled pork (not on the menu), $11. Although Jethro’s is better known for breakfast, their simple mac’n'cheese is not to be missed. The thing is, you must add the pulled pork. The Southern twist really makes this mac’n'cheese.

#3. Whet, Baked Mac & Cheese, $16. With aged cheddar, gruyère, grana padano, Alderwood smoked bacon, mushrooms, and a panko herb crust, you’d think this Mac would be a little too complicated for this regular gal. However, the flavour that really shines through is the mushrooms. Woo-ee! If you want a mushroom punch to the gut, try out this savory Mac.

#4. The Wolf and Hound, Hearty Mac & Cheese, $12. Their menu says it is “loaded with a 4 cheese blend & baked until golden brown with a crispy panko bread crumb crust” and they aren’t kidding. This is probably the single-most cheesiest Mac I’ve had in Vancouver. Love cheese? This is the Mac for you. Before you die of a cheese overload, don’t forget to eat the organic green salad or apple slaw that comes with it. It’ll do you good.

#5. The Wicklow, Baked Mac & Cheese, $12. Another simple Mac graces the list. Although it is served with diced tomatoes, peppered bacon, aged cheddar, and cream, then topped with more cheddar, all of the non-cheese flavours are rather muted. What’s left is a simple and super cheesy Mac (albeit not as cheesy as The Wolf and Hound’s Mac). Served with a toasted garlic baguette and a fresh salad, this Mac is big on value.

#6. Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar, Lobster Mac N’ Cheese, $18.99. At almost twenty bucks, I just couldn’t place this in the Top 5. I put a high value on high value and this is pushing the limits of my mac’n'cheese budget. That said, this creamy four cheese macaroni is loaded with well-portioned chunks of lobster. You can find Rogue at Waterfront Station or at their new location at Broadway & Ash.

#7. Eight 1/2, Four Cheese Macaroni, $7.50. This “small plate” comes with an appetizer portion of Mac that is going to leave you wanting more. Resist that urge though. You’ll find the dish a little oily and if you overdo it, feeling full with regret and guilt, as well as macaroni. With mascarpone, brie, parmesan, and bocconcini, this mac’n'cheese is rich, creamy, and very saucy. (Who doesn’t feel a little saucy sometimes?) Also, it has bacon in it. Everything is better with bacon.

#8. Peckinpah, Mac’n Cheese, $11; with pulled pork, $14.50. Man, I like me some pulled pork. This mac and cheese is swimming in a peppery béchamel sauce and topped with a thick slab of melted cheddar and a pile of pulled pork. Dear God, don’t forget to add the pulled pork. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being truly awesome), the mac’n'cheese scores a 6, but the pig brings it up to an 8. The pulled pork at Peckinpah is far superior to that at Jethro’s, but the mac’n'cheese is just too saucy. (Who knew there was such a thing as “too saucy?”) I need a little more substance—more chewiness and less soupiness—for this to go up higher in the rankings.

#9. Rhizome, Four-Cheese Macaroni, $9. This baked mac’n'cheese is very cheesy. It’s doesn’t “wow,” but it does the job. It’s a simple, solid Mac. Add caramelized onions for a sweet treat.

#10. The Mac Shack, The Brooklyn, $12.99. This Mac is a strange combo of ingredients, with “seasoned short rib beef with caramelized onion, roasted mushrooms and cherry tomatoes in a rose sauce, topped with blue cheese, our three cheese medley, chives, and a balsamic glaze.” Blue cheese and balsamic vinegar in a Mac? Really? Yes, really. This Mac is, by far, The Mac Shack’s best macaroni and cheese dish. Don’t bother with the rest, go straight to Brooklyn.

Are these the very best Macs that Vancouver has to offer? Maybe. Maybe not. But they are the best that I’ve tried.

If you have a recommendation for an amazing Mac, please leave a comment or tweet me @VancouverBites. I’d love to hear from you!

Pictured above: Rogue’s Lobster Mac N’ Cheese.

I had been to La Casita twice before, but hadn’t written any reviews. The first time—on an evening after a busy street festival—they were all out of chiles relleno. Oh no! I had enchiladas, which turned out to be very good, but I forgot to take pictures. The second time I went, it was really late at night and it was way too dark for photos, plus I was absolutely starving and I engulfed my chile relleno. I remember thinking, Was that the best chile relleno I’ve had in Vancouver or was I just starving?

So, as  you can imagine, after two very positive experiences at La Casita, I was thrilled when the guys from vaneats.ca contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in reviewing the sampler platter they would be offering in their custom-made dining package with La Casita. Apparently, they’d heard of my passion for Mexican food. Yay me!

Then Saturday happened. Oh Saint Patrick,  you can really mess me up, you. On Sunday, the Big Man and I were feeling a bit, uh, sluggish, you might say, so we didn’t really eat all day and then it was 4 pm and we were starving, so we headed to La Casita.

Our meal began with complimentary chips and salsa. The chips are made on site from scratch and are very good. The salsas were quite unusual, but this was a good thing. The red salsa, described as a typical red salsa by the waitress, was not actually typical at all. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it stood out for sure. The green salsa looked like avocado sauce, but as soon as I took a bite I knew it wasn’t. I asked the waitress and she said it was a coriander salsa. Mmm, this green soupy-looking stuff was divine!

I ordered the sampler platter, of course, as it was included for free as part of my review, but I also ordered the chile relleno. I had to know if it was as good as I thought it was the last time I’d tried it. I knew this was too much food, but I figured I could take the leftovers home. The waitress came back from the kitchen and asked if it would be okay if we started with the sampler platter as the chef didn’t think all that food would fit on our table at once. He he.

The sampler platter arrived and it was big, but so were our appetites (or so we thought). The sampler platter included chipotle shrimp, mole chicken wings, super nachos, cabbage salad with avocado, and chorizo quesadillas, as well as some Mexican rice and a corn tortilla.

We started with the mole chicken wings and the chorizo quesadillas. I told my husband to take 3 of the 4 chicken wings because I am not usually a big fan of mole and he just loves the stuff. Then we started eating the wings and I was blown away by how tasty they were! Not too chocolatey, not too intense—no, this mole was smooth and silky. I would easily order this again, but next time I won’t be sharing them so readily with the Big Man! The chorizo quesadillas were good, but didn’t wow me as I had expected. I love chorizo, and these quesadillas were packed with chorizo and ooey-gooey melted cheese, but we found the tortilla to be a bit too thick and overwhelming. They were tasty, but I guess I would have preferred them in a thinner flour tortilla or in several smaller corn tortillas.

The cabbage salad was light and refreshing and served well to cleanse our palates between the other items. The next item we splurged on was the chipotle shrimp. Wow. I was really impressed with the shrimp, so much so that I asked the waitress how to order just the shrimp next time I visit the restaurant. First of all, these shrimp were perfectly cooked, not overdone as shrimp so often are. Of course, I would expect expertly cooked shrimp at a seafood restaurant, but I wouldn’t expect it from a Mexican restaurant. This opened my eyes to seafood done Mexican style. To be honest, I’ve never ordered seafood at a Mexican restaurant, save for fish tacos. This is going to change from here on out. Perfectly plump, mouth-watering, expertly seasoned shrimp? Yes please!

We saved the nachos for the last because we didn’t expect much from them. They were coated in a sort of refried bean sauce, sprinkled with cheese and fresh salsa. We make nachos at home all the time, so nachos need to be pretty freakin’ good to impress us.

I took one bite and my eyes widened in surprise. What? They looked so simple, but tasted amazing! I urged Big Man to try them and he reluctantly did, but then he had the same surprised reaction. Deliciousness! The sauce was so unexpected, so unlike anything you’ve tried before on nachos. I identified that the sauce was made with refried beans and cheese mixed together, but then the waitress mentioned that there was also seasoned beef in there. Because we’d waited to eat the nachos, the cheese had plenty of time to get super melty so that each chip was absolutely loaded with yummy sauce and gooey white cheese. These are not your everyday nachos. These are, indeed, “super nachos.”

By the time we ate the sampler platter, we conceded that, yes, this is definitely a platter for two, even if you are super hung over from wild St. Patty’s Day partying, and then you went to an art auction and drank and bid (never a good idea), and then you went to your place with friends and drank some more, and then crashed without drinking enough water, and then woke up the next day and didn’t eat all day. Yes, even then, this platter serves two.

But then came my chile relleno.

La Casita’s chile relleno is $17, a hefty price tag for sure. Of course, the platter is huge and comes with mounds of Mexican rice, refried beans, cabbage salad, the biggest chile relleno you ever saw, a dollop of guacamole, and three corn tortillas. In short, it is served just as it should be.

In Vancouver, seeing a Mexican dish served “as it should be” is quite the feat. I’ve ordered chile relleno just about everywhere I could find it in this city and I have seen it in various twisted and unnatural forms. But no, not at La Casita. I can say that their chile relleno is indeed the best that Vancouver has to offer.

What makes this chile relleno the star of the city? Well, first of all, it comes with corn tortillas. I get really annoyed when I have to order these “on the side” and pay extra, when they are supposed to come with the dish in the first place! Okay, got that out of my system. Next, look at that rice. It is bright with seasoning, not plain white rice (I cringe when I see white rice on a supposed Mexican dish). The guacamole is chunky and delicious.

And, then, there is the chile. It’s freakin’ massive! It is packed with melted cheese inside, dipped in batter, basted with two kinds of sauce (a red sauce and salsa verde), and then topped with more melted cheese. That’s a little piece of heaven there. I was not “just hungry” the last time I had the chile relleno: it is the best chile relleno in Vancouver.

What about the price? $17 is pricey for me. As you know, I expect Mexican food to be cheap. Well, I’ve thought a lot about this and I have decided that since most chiles relleno in Vancouver go for $15 or $16 a plate, plus an extra $1.50 to $3.00 for corn tortillas that should’ve been included in the first place, then La Casita’s $17 chile relleno is actually a reasonable price to pay. Especially because you’re simply not going to find a chile relleno of the same calibre anywhere else in Vancouver, and you’re especially not going to find it for less.

Speaking of prices, you can go to vaneats.ca today and purchase this limited-time offer of the custom-made sampler dining platter for only $18. It is a steal and I highly recommend it!

La Casita
101 West Cordova St.
Vancouver, BC V6B 1E1
604-646-2444
info@lacasita.ca

Disclaimer: while the sampler platter was free, we paid for the rest of our meal and all previous meals. The free sampler platter was delicious and definitely a bonus, but it did not affect my review in any way.