It’s true that I don’t do as many of my full blown restaurant reviews here on Beyond the Rhetoric anymore. That doesn’t mean I’m not still going out there to eat, take pictures, and share my foodie adventures with the online world at large! It’s just that they exist more in the form of quick bites via Instagram. So, just as I shared with some Burnaby eats a few months ago, I thought I’d share some of those Instagram Reels here for posterity.

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen, Victoria Drive

When most people think about Vietnamese food, especially in Metro Vancouver, we usually think of pho. Specifically, we think of the variety of pho most common in southern Vietnam, largely centered around Ho Chi Minh City (previously Saigon). There are a handful of places that do northern Vietnamese pho (centered around Hanoi) too. Of course, there’s a lot more to Vietnamese food than just pho and Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen is a shining example of that.

As its name implies, the specialty of this Victoria Drive eatery is bun cha ca, or Vietnamese fish cake noodle soup. But the real star is the bun rieu, a special crab soup that may not be especially photogenic, but is about as richly satisfying as noodle soups can get.

Neptune Seafood Restaurant, Station Square

There’s something about the nostalgic tradition of going out for dim sum with your family on Sunday. Visit Neptune Seafood Restaurant in Station Square and you’ll find all the classics. Shrimp dumplings (har gow), steam pork dumplings (siu mai), BBQ pork buns (cha siu bao), and chicken feet (fung jow). But you’ll also find some more unique dishes too, like kawaii egg yolk custard lava buns, steamed purple rice roll, and a sleepy teddy mousse. I like the wild rice spin on the usual sticky rice wrap (lo mai gai).

Glorious Bao and Fried Rice, The Amazing Brentwood

We went from not very much Taiwanese food in the Brentwood and Burnaby Heights neighborhoods to an increasing number of options, just in the TABLES food court at The Amazing Brentwood alone. Glorious Bao and Fried Rice previously had a location at Tinseltown (International Village), but I believe that one has closed. From pork belly gua bao to Taiwanese popcorn chicken, it’s a decent enough option to scratch a bit of that itch. I want to go back for more fried rice, personally.

Acquafarina, Downtown Vancouver

I was fortunate enough to be invited by Basil Hayden to sample some of their premium bourbon, along with a glorious tasting menu at Acquafarina on West Georgia in downtown Vancouver. We had a private, enclosed patio at the Michelin Guide “recommended” Italian restaurant. I don’t always indulge in truffles and wagyu beef, so this was certainly a very special treat.

Siam Le Bien Thai Cuisine, Burnaby Heights

Last year, I put together a list of some of the best food in Burnaby Heights and Brentwood. In that guide, I highlighted Siam Le Bien as the best Thai restaurant in the neighborhood. That accolade still holds true, in my mind, particularly when you take advantage of the lunch specials. While I found the pad thai a bit on the small side, the crispy pork belly was a delight. And while I had previously only enjoyed their food via takeout, we chose to dine in for lunch on this occasion.

Eat, Eat, Repeat With More Quick Bites to Come

To keep up with what I’m shoving down my gullet (okay, maybe that’s not the best choice of words), the best thing to do is to follow me on Instagram. Not everything makes it to the main feed as a photo post or Instagram reel, so you’ll want to tap through those Instagram Stories periodically too. You’ll also get some glimpses into our home cooking (mostly not mine, but who’s counting?) and parenting life. I eat my feelings often, so there’s a lot of food posts to share.