Our last night in Vancouver. Beep Beep, L and I returned to her house at 5:00 p.m. to get ready for our dinner reservations at Raisu. Beep Beep has been after me for a while to try Raisu’s deluxe chirashi, premium tonkatsu, sea urchin and snow crab udon soup. However, it was not in the cards. Her partner Mars was exhausted. He looked after their daughter Me Ah since 2:00 p.m. and he didn’t have his usual nap. He was so tired that he said he didn’t want to go to Raisu. I cancelled our reservations, had a drink with Beep Beep and made plans to visit L’s friend Moody and my cousin, Cuz. For this post, let’s listen to Ray Charles Hit the Road Jack.
We met Mood at his favourite watering hole – St. Augustine’s. This is the sort of place I would have frequented in my undergrad. It’s fun, lively and there are lot of local beers. Service was attentive and friendly – kudos to the two Asian female staff that looked after us throughout the night.
We ordered a Sweet Fennel Pizza ($15). There was nothing wrong with this pie. Thin crust, with ample roasted garlic, basil and enough pork sausage to get a piece every few bites. I liked the tang of the tomato sauce and the taste of Asiago cheese was prominent.
After we finished our pizza, L told me that Cuz was at the door. Even with my contacts, my eyesight is not the best. I waved enthusiastically to Cuz. L and Moody howled. The guy wasn’t Asian and when I looked up close, he didn’t look a thing like my cousin. His dark hair turned out to be a toque.
When my cousin did come, we ordered wings. As it was wing night, a plate cost only $6.50. Cuz ordered teriyaki and I ordered hot wings. I received more wings than him but his were meatier.
L ordered yam fries ($8.50). The fries were crunchy and sweet, and looked like it was double battered. The smoked garlic aioli was pungent, in a good way. I thought the amount of fries was skimpy for the price.
For a casual night out, I like St. Augustine’s. Just an FYI – while there are over 50 rotating beers, there was only one wheat beer offered.
Hitting the Sauce 