[Ronin]

I know there are some aspiring chefs in here who know the importance of quality, fresh ingredients.

Where do you go for the best cuts of meat? The freshest fish? Which shop sells a great pesto or great freshly made pasta or bread?

Post your finds here!

[Ronin]

For example...

Where's the best place to buy truffles in Vancouver?

[Alphamale]

I hear that hella run down meat shop on Hastings close to Army and Navy is really good. They'll cut anything any way you want it and it's super fresh. Then again..I'm not sure how desperate you are to head down to the core of the DTES to get some meat.

For Japanese meats, there's Nikuya on Rupert and Hastings. They have kobe beef and japanese sausages and stuff. Very high quality meat and I think they are the main retailer/wholesaler for japanese meats or something.

[Vansterdam]

Originally posted by Alphamale
I hear that hella run down meat shop on Hastings close to Army and Navy is really good. They'll cut anything any way you want it and it's super fresh. Then again..I'm not sure how desperate you are to head down to the core of the DTES to get some meat.

\


haha i use to get my chicken nuggets from there. ah so good. good times

[willystyle]

Originally posted by Alphamale

For Japanese meats, there's Nikuya on Rupert and Hastings.
u mean, Hastings and Renfrew?

[Alphamale]

Originally posted by willystyle
u mean, Hastings and Renfrew?

Err...yeah! I always get Rupert and Renfrew mixed up.

There's one in Richmond too.
http://www.nikuya.ca/contact/default.htm

[Meowjin]

Best bagels in town, is the jewish bakery at garden city and blundell. I go to the halal butcher for my cuts of meat on 5 and cambie, and I get the best produce from richmond country farms.

[Senna4ever]

Siegel's has the best bagels. Not the one in the Granville Public market, as they use an electric oven, but the main store on Cornwall and Chestnut. They use a proper woodfire oven.

[rymack]

best steak for quality vs price for retail is costco imo. They have really well marbled rib eyes and all the steaks are needled fo extra tenderness

[Senna4ever]

Yeah, Costco is hard to beat for the quality vs. price debate.

[freakshow]

Bosa is awesome for lots of Italian stuff

[Ronin]

Where can you find good quality tuna for a reasonable price?

[Slif]

I get my pesto exclusively from Duso's at GI - it's f*cking deliriously good

also get most of my cold cuts, forcemeats, sausages from Oyama which is right beside them

as for bread, Terra has some really good artisan bread, as well as specialty breads - but my usual spot is (partly for convenience, partly for price, and partly coz I'm hooked on it) Manzano's in Metrotown for this potato oregano loaf they sell that has a crust that gives a crunch only matched by the best "siu yok" :)

I'm looking to find some good brisket to use for my new slow cooker though so if anyone has any advice - I'd appreciate it

[b-dub]

I have a friend that works delivering meats. He told me to <b> STAY AWAY </b> from superstore, safeway, T&T and all those other big stores. Apparently, Stongs on dunbar, urban fare and magee grocery have some pretty good meat. I only go to stongs/magee grocery now to get meat because they really are alot better. I use to be a customer at costco but still believe stongs is better.

Magee grocery is similar but a little bit better than costco. Very small grocery store though. Also, I heard the head butcher from magee grocery went to stongs a few years back.

[willystyle]

why are the meat at big chain stores bad?

[b-dub]

Originally posted by willystyle
why are the meat at big chain stores bad?

According to my friend, they cheap out. Can you picture superstore paying top dollar for the best meat?

Also, I think he said something about they get meat through corporate and they decide on which type to get.

This reminds me, my friend said that rain city cafe order cheap meats.

[rymack]

When you say sheap meat in terms of rsteraunt grade its misleading. n Some restaurants order lower "grade " meat but it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it. All beef is federally inspected and most comes from the same two slaughterhouse in alberta...cargill and the other name i don't recalll. only the top 10 percent of beef in canada is classified as AAA. the grading system is based on many factors but the most obvious to consumers at a market are marbling and size. When it comes to chicken....always get free range if you can afford it...it just tastes better. Pork is pretty standard across the board unless your getting into heritage breeds
But when you suggest that the "cheap"meat are inferior in terms of safety and health standards is totally wrong.

As far as superstore buying corporate...well doesn't that make more sense so they can use there buying power to get a decent deal? do you expect them to buy piece meal from different suppliers in different cities?

the one thing ii will say is that i've seen t&t sell un aged beef...its really tough for steaks and such so i might think twice about getting steaks from there

[Slif]

Superstore sells some of the most disgusting cuts of meat I've ever had the mispleasure of cooking

we got some steaks, sausages from them a few years ago and they were disgusting... very little meat to them, nasty flavour... ugh...

I buy all my stuff from Costco for BBQs now

beyond that, I don't eat beef at home anyways so I don't have a particular place to go... maybe Armando's at GI

I did pick up some short ribs from Save On Foods the other day and they turned out amazing after 3 1/2 hours in the pot

I also only buy the Maple Prime grain-fed chicken from Save On - I used to eat Costco chicken but I was getting really bad skin problems - once I switched over -- it all disappeared... a little disturbing if you ask me

so yeah - my grocery bills tend to be pretty high - but it's worth it health-wise

[godwin]

I think with meat it is more important for one to know how to spot good quality / cuts than the size / reputation of the store. Basically a large chain offers you a large selection but it is up to you to select. It is up to you to be able to seperate the good cuts and the bad cuts. Specialty places like Tenderland on Granville Island, they just have more refined selection.

You also have to know what you are cooking too. eg you can get away with other cuts of meet other than tenderloin if you want to slow cook etc.

Other tips is know the butcher.. visit them when they are slow to get to know them.. also if it happens that you don't have the cuts you want, be prepare to walk away from picking a certain meat and improvise, either go to a different supplier or change the menu.

[LoWeR-CaSe-VoWeLS]

Originally posted by rymack
When you say sheap meat in terms of rsteraunt grade its misleading. n Some restaurants order lower "grade " meat but it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it. All beef is federally inspected and most comes from the same two slaughterhouse in alberta...cargill and the other name i don't recalll. only the top 10 percent of beef in canada is classified as AAA. the grading system is based on many factors but the most obvious to consumers at a market are marbling and size. When it comes to chicken....always get free range if you can afford it...it just tastes better. Pork is pretty standard across the board unless your getting into heritage breeds
But when you suggest that the "cheap"meat are inferior in terms of safety and health standards is totally wrong.

As far as superstore buying corporate...well doesn't that make more sense so they can use there buying power to get a decent deal? do you expect them to buy piece meal from different suppliers in different cities?

the one thing ii will say is that i've seen t&t sell un aged beef...its really tough for steaks and such so i might think twice about getting steaks from there

Just because a chicken is free range doesn't mean it will taste better. It depends on what the chicken is fed and it's diet.

Free range just means that the chickens are allowed to "roam" the farm. The duration and frequency is at the farmer's discretion. A free range chicken could have only 5 minutes of roaming time a week and still be considered free range. (people that think eating free range chicken is more humane take note)

Tougher/cheaper cuts of meats aren't always bad, they are perfect candidates for a braise or a slow cook. (whereas a softer meat will become mush) It all depends what you do with it.

[ashtaron14]

Saw an ad on the payer today: Nikuya is having a 20% all meats sale from Feb 1-8th... donno is that a deal or a gimmick

[Boostaholic]

how much are kobe beef steaks? I usually buy fillet minion cuts from safeway. they are like $33/kg and they tastes amazing. I won't mind trying out kobe if they are not that much more.

[godwin]

Kobe striploin is a 25ish / 100g.

Originally posted by Boostaholic
how much are kobe beef steaks? I usually buy fillet minion cuts from safeway. they are like $33/kg and they tastes amazing. I won't mind trying out kobe if they are not that much more.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally posted by LoWeR-CaSe-VoWeLS
Just because a chicken is free range doesn't mean it will taste better. It depends on what the chicken is fed and it's diet.

Free range just means that the chickens are allowed to "roam" the farm. The duration and frequency is at the farmer's discretion. A free range chicken could have only 5 minutes of roaming time a week and still be considered free range. (people that think eating free range chicken is more humane take note) Free range chickens also eat a lot of crap that they shouldn't. Including each other.. yeah chickens tend to.. peck at each other a lot. If they are very crowded, they'll get into a lot of fights. That means feathers and chunks all over the place. Which they then eat. It's pretty gross :lol

[Trinity]

Originally posted by SkinnyPupp
Free range chickens also eat a lot of crap that they shouldn't. Including each other.. yeah chickens tend to.. peck at each other a lot. If they are very crowded, they'll get into a lot of fights. That means feathers and chunks all over the place. Which they then eat. It's pretty gross :lol Just out of curiosity - what's your source? I've a friend who eats a crapton of chicken and is convinced it's the healthiest thing ever.

[originalhypa]

There's a meat market on 248th in Langley called Bonettis. They farm the meat, cut it, and sell it all at the same location. Meat so fresh, it hasn't been dead for a whole day before it hits the bbq.

While you're out there, take advantage of the free range eggs sold at markets, and even along the side streets in rural Langley and aldergrove. On 232nd, you'll find a farm market with some of the finest veggies around. Since it's all farmed there, the delay from harvest to your table is a lot less than mass produced Safeway crap.

I'm tired of big supermarket's tasteless produce.
:(



Originally posted by SkinnyPupp
Free range chickens also eat a lot of crap that they shouldn't. Including each other.. yeah chickens tend to.. peck at each other a lot. If they are very crowded, they'll get into a lot of fights. That means feathers and chunks all over the place. Which they then eat. It's pretty gross :lol

Okay, I hate to admit this but.......... we had chickens when I was growing up.
:(

Yeah, have your laughs, I know it makes me a redneck, but I'm one of the few here who can clean and cut a chicken, so there.


Anyway, we had a lot of chickens, in fact for years we never went to Safeway, or places like that. I'll agree that every once in a while they would get into scraps, but a well taken care of flock will never have a dead chicken in general population long enough for the others to have a snack. In fact, well fed flocks would rarely fight, as there was nothing to fight about.

Plus the taste was above and beyond mass produced fowl. Both meat, and eggs, I miss those days.

[TypeERRR]

Originally posted by originalhypa


Okay, I hate to admit this but.......... we had chickens when I was growing up.
:(

Yeah, have your laughs, I know it makes me a redneck, but I'm one of the few here who can clean and cut a chicken, so there.


Anyway, we had a lot of chickens, in fact for years we never went to Safeway, or places like that. I'll agree that every once in a while they would get into scraps, but a well taken care of flock will never have a dead chicken in general population long enough for the others to have a snack. In fact, well fed flocks would rarely fight, as there was nothing to fight about.

Plus the taste was above and beyond mass produced fowl. Both meat, and eggs, I miss those days.
Nothing beats eggs that are fresh from the chicken! still warm when you're cracking it into the pan. It's awesome how yellow the yolk is compared to the eggs you get from supermarkets. And i agree, the chickens i've raised would almost never fight, because they had enough room and food where they wouldn't have to "argue" over it. The only dead chickens we would get is from hawks or coyotes getting into the coops. :p

[maxx]

Well i buy organic fresh meat and fish only. I know a butcher there who can cut meat to my specs. Capers on 4th sometimes has decent meat. Choices on the 16th wand 57th would be my choice.
For cold cuts and cheese I hit, The Drive - Santa Barbara to be precise and La Grotta.

[originalhypa]

Originally posted by TypeERRR
Nothing beats eggs that are fresh from the chicken! still warm when you're cracking it into the pan. It's awesome how yellow the yolk is compared to the eggs you get from supermarkets. And i agree, the chickens i've raised would almost never fight, because they had enough room and food where they wouldn't have to "argue" over it. The only dead chickens we would get is from hawks or coyotes getting into the coops. :p

hahaha, awesome!
I was worried that I was the only one with chicken poo on my hands as a kid.

:lol

[TypeERRR]

Originally posted by originalhypa
hahaha, awesome!
I was worried that I was the only one with chicken poo on my hands as a kid.

:lol
lol chicken poo on my hands, and on the constant lookout for the cow patties!!:rofl:

[Meowjin]

+100 points for santa barbara.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally posted by originalhypa

Okay, I hate to admit this but.......... we had chickens when I was growing up.
:(

Yeah, have your laughs, I know it makes me a redneck, but I'm one of the few here who can clean and cut a chicken, so there.


Anyway, we had a lot of chickens, in fact for years we never went to Safeway, or places like that. I'll agree that every once in a while they would get into scraps, but a well taken care of flock will never have a dead chicken in general population long enough for the others to have a snack. In fact, well fed flocks would rarely fight, as there was nothing to fight about.

Plus the taste was above and beyond mass produced fowl. Both meat, and eggs, I miss those days.
As a feller white-boy from a small town, I had chickens too (and pigs). And no, a well taken-care of flock won't be killing each other all the time. But little scraps chickens have are often enough for them... I mean think of it, they peck at each other, picking each other apart bit by bit. Maybe it's not a huge issue that makes free-range unworthy of consideration, but it's still a funny fact to me.

Free range usually tastes a lot better than typically farmed chicken, but they often aren't very meaty.

Anyway, duck and goose > chicken * 10000 ;)

[Ronin]

Originally posted by SkinnyPupp
Anyway, duck and goose > chicken * 10000 ;)

True. Other than the massive layer of fat, the actual meat of duck and goose is leaner and tastier than chicken.

[Boostaholic]

Originally posted by godwin
Kobe striploin is a 25ish / 100g.

so $75 bucks for a 10oz steak? damnn

[godwin]

probably from here:

http://www.nikuya.ca/contact/default.htm

Originally posted by Boostaholic
so $75 bucks for a 10oz steak? damnn

[Inaii]

Originally posted by Slif
Manzano's in Metrotown

they have the best bread ever. I was addicted to that bakery when I worked there a few years ago. Really nice people there too.

[originalhypa]

Originally posted by TypeERRR
lol chicken poo on my hands, and on the constant lookout for the cow patties!!:rofl:

:lol

Originally posted by SkinnyPupp
As a feller white-boy from a small town, I had chickens too (and pigs). And no, a well taken-care of flock won't be killing each other all the time. But little scraps chickens have are often enough for them... I mean think of it, they peck at each other, picking each other apart bit by bit. Maybe it's not a huge issue that makes free-range unworthy of consideration, but it's still a funny fact to me.

Free range usually tastes a lot better than typically farmed chicken, but they often aren't very meaty.

Anyway, duck and goose > chicken * 10000 ;)

Gotta love growing up on a farm.
I'd laugh when I would watch Sesame Street, and the kids from the Bronx had to be bussed to the farm. They didn't even know what a cow was.
:lol

I'm with you on the duck/goose, definately.
I couldn't survive eating it all the time though. So fatty.

[ziggyx]

bumping an old thread.

Is there any place where I can buy hot pot meat for a decent price? So far all I've checked was TnT but it seemed kind of pricey that I rather just go to a restaurant. I'm not a meat expert nor do I do much grocery shopping so I don't really know what's a good deal or what is good quality meat.

Any help would be appreciated (especially by tomorrow since I'm planning on having it tomorrow. lol). Thanks in advance

Edit: I will be checking out nikuya tomorrow by the way from what people have said in this thread and also because I live near.

[TekDragon]

Two EE's for produce. Cheap, fresh, and high turnover. Surrey, Fraser and 164th.

Glory Meats for, well, meats. Cheaper than the supermarkets, always a good cut of meat when I go there. 144th and 104th in Surrey.

[hal0g0dv2]

just eat buffalo there on a special diet

[Culverin]

Two EE's for produce. Cheap, fresh, and high turnover. Surrey, Fraser and 164th.

Glory Meats for, well, meats. Cheaper than the supermarkets, always a good cut of meat when I go there. 144th and 104th in Surrey.

Here's where me and my friends have been buying hot pot meat for a couple years.

Han Kook Meats
Han Kook Meat, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Google Maps

[Shades]

Where can I buy European specifically German bread? Dinkelbrot mit Sonnenblumen?

[Rogue951]

korean market on broadway a little west of fraser has cheap hotpot meat. not the best cuts, a little thicker than norm, but I don't mind for the quantity.




bumping an old thread.

Is there any place where I can buy hot pot meat for a decent price? So far all I've checked was TnT but it seemed kind of pricey that I rather just go to a restaurant. I'm not a meat expert nor do I do much grocery shopping so I don't really know what's a good deal or what is good quality meat.

Any help would be appreciated (especially by tomorrow since I'm planning on having it tomorrow. lol). Thanks in advance

Edit: I will be checking out nikuya tomorrow by the way from what people have said in this thread and also because I live near.

[ziggyx]

Thanks guys will check out the places in richmond and vancouver first. If worst comes to worst I will go check out surrey but its kind of far for me lol.

[unit]

Where can I buy fresh duck? Either whole or legs/breasts? Not confit like at oyama
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