Voula’s Offshore Cafe

Cherry and I decided to have breakfast at Voula’s Offshore Café, yesterday, and walked out quite pleased and very full. Located on NE Northlake Way, Voula’s is a family owned diner offering hearty meals with touch of their Greek heritage. I didn’t even realize until after we walked in, that Voula’s was also featured on Foodnetwork’s, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives! Flavortown, here we come!

entrance off  ne northlake

front-row seating

    The Food:

 

voula’s big one $10.8

Cherry opted for Voula’s Big One, which came with three eggs (scrambled), two pieces of bacon, two pieces of sausage, hash browns and toast (rye). This is your standard, but bigger than average breakfast plate, offering all the morning necessities. The bacon was crunchy and thickly cut, while their Greek sausage was very savory and rich with the herbs and spices they use. Their Greek sausage is made with beef rather than pork – and it works wonderfully. The scrambled eggs were cooked well and the crispy hash browns  succeeded in finishing the plate off.

the oddinator $11.3

Voula’s menu is full of uniquely name dishes, but the oddinator resonated with me. Seeing as how it is also an omelette, made it the logical choice. This three egg omelette came stuffed with their in-house smoked pork, mushrooms, green onions, Swiss cheese and topped with BBQ sauce. Hash browns and toast (English muffin) also came with this dish. I first tasted their BBQ sauce which was sweeter than I’d prefer, but it did carry a pleasant underlying spice.. This was a very well made omelette. I almost felt bad cutting into the pillowy-soft egg that delicately wrapped everything together – like a warm fleece blanket wrapping up a newborn baby. The flavors of the smoked pork were highlighted by the creamy Swiss cheese, while the mushrooms added earthiness and the green onions added a bright pop to each bite. They did provide some house-made hot sauce that provided that missing bite I always look for. Everything came together excellently.

My Conclusion: Voula’s is a friendly spot offering deliciously hearty breakfasts. No fancy or frilly plates here… but lets be honest, a little extra butter always soothes the soul.

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Itadakimasu

Cherry and I were driving past UW and decided to get a bite to eat. She had a fixin’ for some teriyaki, so we stopped at Itadakimasu. The exterior is a very unassuming building located between NE 50^th and NE 47^th in the U-District. As we parked and walked toward the entrance, there was also a small sandwich board with a “Grand Opening” sign, but more on that later. The interior was dark with black tables and chairs and pink accents throughout. There was a nice bright mural painted on the wall of large cherry blossom trees. It did have a modern izakaya feel, just with a smaller bar. We were greeted, seated and given our menus. Right before our server left, I curiously asked, “So how long have you been open?” to which she replied which a grin , “…a year and a half…” Clever. Very clever 😉

 

entrance off brooklyn ave

 

cherry blossom trees

 

the bar

 

The Food:

 

chicken teriyaki / gyoza combo special $8.5

 

Cherry’s go-to at any teriyaki joint is the chicken. She originally was just going to order the regular chicken teriyaki, but our server informed us of the daily special – which had a little less chicken but was also cheaper. The unique thing about Itadakimasu is that the teriyaki doesn’t automatically come with rice. “Teriyaki that doesn’t come with rice?! What is this treachery?!” No. Each dish comes with either one or two sides and you can opt for rice or try something else. Cherry went with the white rice and a fried egg. The chicken was well cooked and had a flavorful glaze. The marinade they use for the chicken was also rich and well balanced. The gyozas were your standard fare that you can find in the frozen section of a grocery store, but that didn’t make them any less satisfying.

 

 

chicken katsu $9

 I ordered my go-to as well, chicken katsu – also with white rice and fried egg. The katsu was fried nicely, providing a nice crunch on the outside and a tender bite underneath. The sauce added a savory component that was a little on the tart side. I often add a fried egg to many dishes I cook at home, so having it as an option here, gave it a comfort food quality for me. Oh, and if you couldn’t tell by the pictures above, the portions here are extremely generous!

 

 My Conclusion:

Itadakimasu is a very nice spot providing well made teriyaki. They also do a great job catering to the college neighborhood offering large portions at a very reasonable price. In addition to all this, they also offer Korean influenced dishes that I am eager to come back and try!

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