Sherman's Food Adventures

Elem

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Saying that restaurants are facing an uphill battle these days is a huge understatement. With the state of the economy and rampant inflation, it is tough go for most businesses. So when I heard that there was a break-in at Elem, I just had to go back and support them. I went twice within a month and this particular post is a combination of both dinners. On a happier note, Elem has recently won Vanmag's "Best New Restaurant". Truly deserving and congrats to Chef Vish and the Elem team!

For the longest time, the featured bread on the menu was the rye parker rolls. Well, they now have Milk Brioche Buns now and for this dinner, it was served with whipped butter topped by serrano & lime butter and lime salt. Loved the fluffiness and butteriness of the buns. The butter was super light and airy while having a brightness from the serrano. It really wasn't spicy either.

If you don't already know, Elem is also known for their cocktail program and we went for the Anar and Mango Rasmalai. For the anar, it was a light mix of gin, pomegranate and cardamomo. Definitely floral and mildly sweet. Along the same lines, the mango rasmalai was also comprised of gin mixed with mango and cardamomo. With the addition of clarified saffron milk and saffron white chocolate paint, we had even more floral notes.

Believe it or not, this is only the 2nd time I've had the Yellowfin Tuna Bhel! It wasn't because I didn't like it, but rather, no one I ate with ever wanted to order it. Well, this time I did and yep, I know now what I was missing. Beyond the buttery pieces of tuna, we found the classic flavours of a Bhel being herbaceous, tangy and bright. Love the added crunch as it needed it.

One of their newer dishes was the Elk Tartare. Not gamy (to me at least), the lean elk was surprisingly buttery and tender. It was well-seasoned and beautifully topped with edible flowers. What put this dish over the top was it rested on bone marrow. The generous amount of buttery and sinful bone marrow only added to the luxuriousness of the dish. Completing things was the crunchy housemade chips.

Normally, I'm not one to order a salad for any meal, but since I've had the Glorious Organics Salad before, we got it. Despite its basic plating, you wouldn't have guessed that it consisted of a bevy of greens,

elderflower-tahini dressing, walnuts and ricotta salata. Just something refreshing and light as an interlude between heavier dishes. The mix of greens afforded bitterness, pepperiness and sweetness to go with the floral and nutty dressing.

Hitting some featured cocktails, we had the Milo/Corn and the Elderflower Highball. With a small piece of fresh corn on the cob, there was no mistaking what the milo/corn was about. This was a combination of cognac, Nestle Milo and milk-washed corn. Slightly strong due to the cognac, but also malty due to the milo and sweet from the corn. I though this was a creative drink for sure. As for the elderflower, it was floral as expected, but also not weak due to the fermented rice vodka. With some peppercorn, there was a slight bite at the end.

For my past 2 visits, I was able to enjoy one of their classic dishes in the Dungeness Crab Toast. Loved that they brought this back on to the menu with a slight twist. For the aerated sauce underneath, it was Tom Yum and that added classic lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf aromatics to already briny and "crabby" flavours. The generous amount of fluffy crab sat atop a soft slice of milk bread. Best to order more of the brioche to soak up all that delicious sauce!

Another dish I do not get to order often at Elem is the Grilled Lamb Skewers. Yes, once again, nobody that eats with me loves lamb. Well, I decided to order it anyways and eat them by myself! These pieces of lamb were super fatty, which in turn, made the meat buttery and soft. However, due to the charring, there were some crispy and smoky bits on the outside. Due to the fat, there was no mistaking it was lamb as it was gamy (which I love). Providing a carmelized sweetness, the medjool date glaze was also syrupy and thick. This all sat on ginger labneh which was creamy, tangy and bright.

Of course a salad wasn't enough in terms of veggies, so we had the Purple Broccolini. The next time we were here (just 2 weeks later), they had replaced the broccolini with the New Potatoes. Although simple in its preparation, the broccolini had a punch of brininess from the bagna cauda and white anchovy. Some pecorino provided more saltiness and nuttiness. As for the potatoes, they were still a bit firm yet still tender. At the centre, there was a toma cheese fonduta that was creamy with just a bit of tang.

With a cute crab cracker on top, the Mezcal Sour was the best cocktail of the bunch. It was smoky from the crab shell mezcal and also slightly tangy from the strawberry vinegar. Add in the chili oil and there was a kick. Definitely riding the line between savoury and sweet. Topped with a spoon of sweet and nutty taro sorbet, the aptly named Taro also consisted of rum and coconut. By itself, the cocktail was a bit aromatic with definite hits of rum. I decided to mix the taro sorbet in and that balanced things off with some sweetness and the aforementioned taro notes.

Another variation of an OG dish we had was the Duck Fried Rice. Featuring tender and flavourful pieces of confit duck, the rice ate quite meaty and rich. Each grain of rice was discernible and nutty. Adding in the side of chili crunch was imperative to add texture, aromatics and even more nuttiness. It wasn't spicy per se, but added a background smokiness instead. Herbs on top were more than garnish as it provided brightness and relief from the heaviness.

Gloriously green, the Spring Risotto was beautifully executed. Spreading nicely on the plate while being creamy and rich, the rice was still chewy with a bite. Yes, the whole thing did taste green with the brightness and sweetness of the peas as well as the earthiness of the nettles. A soft poached egg on top added some silkiness from the yolk.

For both meals, I ended up ordering the BC Halibut. Good call as each time, it was prepared well. The fish featured a crispy hard sear which was seasoned properly. The fish itself was flaky and moist. It sat on top of a coconut curry that was creamy, earthy and of course aromatic. There was also some crunchy bak choy and soft chunks of potato.

Prepared medium-rare, we had a beautiful Wagyu Bavette steak. This was rather meaty, yet still wasn't difficult to chew. The fat content ensured that the meat was flavourful on its own. However, the smokiness from the salsa borracha was definitely evident and helped add depth-of-flavour and umami. Some crunchy and vibrant gai lan was served on the side.

The last 2 cocktails I'll talk about are the Mai Tai and the Lemongrass Gimlet. Topped with a spoon of passionfruit ice, the mai tai consisted of 3 types of rum and pistachio orgeat. Hence, we had some floral sweetness as well as hits of rum. The passionfuit helped make this fruity and light. That lemongrass gimlet was so refreshing and dangerous. The combination of Lebanese gin, pandan and yuzu was pretty sweet and fruity. I could easily down 10 of these, no joke! But then I would be out like a light too...

The first of these two recent visits, we had the Chocolate Tart to end our meal. This was a substantial slice of rich chocolate cremeux that was only semi-sweet with an appealing bitter finish. Texturally, this was smooth and silky where it melted on contact when put into our mouths. Nice contrasting texture from the butter hazelnut crunch on the top. we found a scoop of salted milk ice cream on the side.

One of their newest desserts is the PB & J with a disk of evaporated and condensed milk atop banana coffee. We found crunchy peanuts and mixed berry jelly on the side. This tasted like we thought it would and that in itself was a success. That disk was so creamy and despite having condensed milk, it was purposefully sweet. Definitely lots of peanut aroma and texture while the jelly was sweet with a slight tang.

Beautifully plated, the Lemon and Rhubarb consisted of house-made lemon ice cream with elderflower, poached rhubarb, bee pollen, butterscotch, hazelnut crumble and a ginger almond disk with shiso glaze. I would say this would be one of the best composed desserts I've had at Elem. A good combination of floral, tangy, sweetness and slight herbaceousness to go with the contrast in textures. So there you have it, 2 of my recent visits to Elem. I think by revisiting some of their greatest hits, with a twist, is a good move for the menu. Also, they seemed to have leveled up with their desserts. They are more composed and dare I say, more "normal". I'm happy for them winning best new restaurant by Vancouver Magazine. I'm looking forward to what is coming next!

The Good:

- They brought back some classics (but with a twist)

- More composed desserts

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Maybe due to the limitations from the break-in, they didn't have any daily features

Kingyo

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Here is one of the classic spots in Downtown Vancouver - Kingyo Izakaya. It all started here and it has spawned into a restaurant group that encompasses Raisu, Rajio, New Fuji, Toyokan Plaza, Toyokan Bowl and Takenaka. They also have locations in Toronto, Seattle and Tokyo. But here we were to grab some food at the original located on Denman.

Before we even ordered anything, they started us off with a complimentary item in the Deep Fried Nori. Yes, they coated the sheets of nori with tempura batter and dropped it into the deep fryer. If you've ever had something similar in a snack bag, this was much better as it was fresh, crunchy and benefited from the umami from the seaweed. Served on the side was a tomato dip with some fried garlic.

Our first actual dish was the Deep Fried Fresh Corn. I was only mildly happy with these as the coating was a bit gummy and dense. However, the corn itself was excellent being plump with pops of intense sweetness. The addition of soy butter helped add saltiness as well as the nuttiness of butter that paired well with the corn.

On their featured menu, they had both Aburi Pressed Bluefin Sushi as well as the Wagyu Pressed Sushi. These were quite solid with chewy sushi rice more than enough topping to balance things out. I enjoyed the buttery bluefin more than the beef. The beef was a bit chewy. Loved the combination of yuzu kosho, teriyaki sauce, ikura and tobiko on the tuna as it offered sweetness, brightness and saltiness. For the beef, there was some spicy mayo with a small piece of seared foie gras, sliced black truffle and ikura.

We ended up with a dish that would be found on almost every Japanese restaurant menu outside of Japan - Chicken Karaage. Sure, it is merely fried chicken, but not all are made equal. This one was definitely better than most. It consisted of chicken leg meat that was nicely marinated with hits of saltiness and ginger. The coating was thin and fried until crispy. It was served with a lemon wedge, which we squeezed onto the chicken.

One of the other daily features was the Beef Croquettes. These were doused with a homemade gravy that was thick and starchy. It had sweetness and tang which helped lighten up the dish. By no means was it heavy though as the creaminess of the potato was light and airy. Mixed into it was of course the tender beef and also a good amount of melty mozzarella.

One of my favourite cuts of pork is the cheek (and also the jowl). So I ended up ordering the Grilled Pork Cheek. This was at its buttery and fatty best with a classic rebound texture. Since this was marinated in miso, there was a rich umaminess to it with a background saltiness. This was served with a 7-spice blend on the side for dipping. However, I didn't even need that.

Back to the featured items, we tried the Grilled Duck Breast. I was a bit so-so with this dish as the duck fat was pretty flabby. It wasn't surprising though as most Izakayas I've been to do not render the fat much (and also the type of duck has a significant layer of fat). The duck itself was juicy but a bit chewy. It did have a measured saltiness to it. On the bottom, there was some creamy foie gras potato and on top, some fried carrots, arugula and Japanese pickled plum.

The most stunning dish was the Deluxe Sashimi Bowl. The small amount of sushi rice was topped with tuna tataki, bluefin chutoro, sockeye salmon, Atlantic salmon, akami, hamachi, hotate, uni, ikura and spot prawn. Very nice selection of sashimi that had a nice sheen and was nicely textured. There could've been much more rice to go with the bounty of fish though.

One of my all-time favourites when it comes to Izakaya dishes is Ebi Mayo. This version here was solid with large tiger prawns that were meaty with a sweet snap texture. They were lightly battered and fried until crispy. Unlike some other places, the amount of chili mayo was balanced where each prawn was coated on the bottom, but not drenched.

We finished off our meal with the Uni Miso Udon topped with crab and ikura. Coated in a silky and naturally sweet miso cream sauce, the slippery and chewy udon noodles were fully flavoured. Nice taste of the sea from the uni, crab and ikura. As you can see, the food is pretty appetizing at Kingyo and they continue to have high standards in terms of food quality and execution. Sure, not everything was perfect, but overall, it was good. One of my go-to Izakayas in town.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Good quality

- Good service

The Bad:

- Bill can add up if you are hungry, but things are expensive all across the board right now

Soi Ram (Dinner Service)

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

I generally don't throw around the term "hidden gem" because almost anything that is good which is not part of a restaurant group has been defined as such. However, there are times when something is indeed not that well-known, other than to the locals. This would be Soi Ram located in Ladner Village. Yah, those who know, will know that the food is legit here and the wok hei is on point. Yet, I'm sure most people who haven't travelled to Ladner for some of the best Thai food in the GVRD. I've been here before during lunch, but I finally got a chance to return for dinner.

Unfortunately, the picture of the Spring Rolls don't do it justice. These are thicc and stuffed full of perfectly cooked veggies. Normally, the veggies (and vermicelli) are obliterated by the deep fry and hence are rendered mushy. Not these ones as they were still crunchy and vibrant while encased in a crunchy wheat wrapper. They were just a touch greasy this time though.

A dish I've never had before was the Tam-Bour Wings featuring a glaze consisting of fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind and a secret spice mix. This was essentially a fish sauce caramel with the beautiful tang of tamarind. This was impactful with a briny sweetness accented by some spice. The wings themselves were crispy with rendered fat. Inside, the meat was juicy, but not too wet, hence it didn't dilute the flavours.

Another new dish for me was the Waterfall Beef. This is strongly related to crying tiger beef but made better. Tender, but with natural meat texture, the slices of beef were completed flavoured by the roasted rice, fresh herbs, citrus, and spice. Since this was technically a salad, the veggies completely benefitted from the aforementioned flavours as well as the texture of the beef.

At one point in time, Sen Pad Thai had the best Pad See Ew in town. Currently, the award goes to Soi Ram. The wok hei was so evident from just the smell as the dish hit the table. You could taste the smokiness as well as the intense caramelization of the gai lan and glass noodles. Those noodles were chewy and full of elasticity. There was a bit of brininess to compliment the sweetness.

One other dish I've had here before was the Pad Kra Pow. The portion size was super generous as you can see in the picture. Easily 3 or 4 times the amount of pork as the one found at Sud Soi. Furthermore, the wok hei on this one was also on point. Strong flavours and the classic smokiness ensured the accompanying rice had something to play with.

Served as a rather large portion, the Chicken Green Curry was delicious. Yes, I've had this before too and the chicken was perfectly prepared. It was moist and tender (not dry like most other places). Creamy and aromatic, the green curry had some brininess, spice, herbeaceousness from the basil and sweetness. Eggplant was tender, but not mushy, while the peppers were still vibrant.

Finally, we had The Alley made with homemade taro, sweet corn, tapioca and fresh coconut slices in a sweet coconut soup. This was topped with homemade coconut ice-cream and crispy rice. This was super-refreshing and surprisingly measured in sweetness. Loved the aromatics of the coconut and the pops of sweetness of the corn. So there you have it, another delicious meal at Soi Ram. Excellent Thai food located in quaint Ladner Village. Love the food, the people and also the reasonable prices. This is a place worth travelling to for a meal.

The Good:

- Delicious eats with wok hei

- Reasonable pricing

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Not the most accessible location for people in the GVRD, especially during rush hour (but I would suffer through that!)

- Fairly limited menu, but has all the essentials

Lee Garden (Dim Sum)

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

I haven't been back to the Kingsway location of Lee Garden for quite some time. We've hit up the Coquitlam spot but once again, the Kingsway location was out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Finally, we decided to meet up with some friends for Dim Sum. As usual, their parking lot got pretty packed, so we ended up parking on the street. If you really want a parking spot, better make a reservation right when it opens at 9:00am. On that note, reservations will not get you in right away when it gets busy at around 11:30am. Best to go early or later.

We began with the BBQ Pork Pastries served as a trio. These were a bit pastry heavy with only a modest amount of BBQ pork. Pork was lean though and the sauce was pretty balanced between sweet and savoury. Flaky, but slightly doughy, the pastry had an on point exterior, but got progressively denser inside. I would say this was an average version of the dish.

I thought the Siu Mai was a bit hit and miss. I thought these were medium-sized compared to many other places. The pork itself was chewy and didn't have the rebound texture I was looking for. Hence they ate a bit dense. There was plenty of shrimp which had a sweet snap though and the seasoning was just right. I liked how they put the tobiko on after they had finished cooking.

On the other hand, the Ha Gau were textbook. Translucent, fairly thin and having appealing elasticity, the dumpling skin was great. It also helped that these were streamed just enough so that everything was cooked, but not overdone with excess moisture. Hence, the wrapper did not tear. Inside, the shrimp filling had a buttery snap and tasted great with sweetness.

Loaded with cilantro, the Beef Meatballs had the desired texture. They were bouncy and airy with mild seasoning. That didn't really matter as the dominant flavour was cilantro. I would say that a bit less would have balanced things out. Small detail, but I loved the bean curd skin at the bottom of the plate. It helped keep the meatballs from sticking, but I also enjoyed the texture.

Here we are with the Steamed Honeycomb Tripe & Tendon, one of my most favourite dishes not only for Dim Sum, but of all time. Yah really, I love the texture when the dish is done right. The one here was absolutely prepared properly. Each strip of tripe was a of a good size and had that desired tender texture with just a bit of chew. It had been stewed enough prior to the steaming and it took on all of the good sweet, savoury and garlicky elements. Tendons were equally tender, but still had texture, rather than melting away.

Another favourite of mine is the Steamed Chicken Feet. These are deep-fried, then braised and finally steamed. Once again, another solid dish as the texture was on point. The skin, fat and cartilage were buttery and soft while not being mushy. All of the chicken feet were intact and everything came off the bone easily. Flavours were similar to the tripe except with a bit more saltiness.

Okay, usually I break one of the BBQ Pork Buns apart so we can see the filling in the picture. I didn't do so here, so you'll just have to trust me that the filling was sufficient and full of the same BBQ pork as found in the pastries. The bun portion was a little more dense than some of the other versions I've had lately. However, at the same time, it was still fluffy and soft.

Another favourite dish of mine is the XO Daikon Radish Cake. For this one here, I thought they did a good job. Although not fried enough to create a uniformly crispy exterior, there was still browning where the aromatics were great. There was a bit of crispiness giving way to a soft pillowy interior. I thought that the briny spice of the XO sauce was a little light and this definitely could've used more of it.

Normally, you'd find me ordering some pea shoots or gai lan, but since they were featuring Water Spinach stir-fried with fermented tofu, I was changing it up! The wok-fry on the water spinach was good as it was cooked enough, but still remained crunchy. I would've liked a bit more fermented tofu, but it was still sufficient to provide a funky saltiness to the dish. On that note, more garlic would've been nice too.

I don't often order the Deep-Fried Chicken Knees, partly because it isn't offered on all Dim Sum menus. They had it here and I was pretty glad I ordered it. As you can see from the picture above, those pieces were large and meaty. Hence, we weren't only eating cartilage, there was juicy meat all around. They were lightly crispy with an impactful salty peppery seasoning.

For our Rice Noodle Roll, we opted for the beef. As you can see in the picture, the rice noodle was a little on the stiffer side, however, it was quite thin. Hence, it was soft enough that it was pliable. It ate better than it looked. Inside, the beef filling was tender and airy much like the beef meatballs. Also like the beef meatballs, there was a good amount of cilantro, which was the dominant flavour.

We went for three desserts this time around including the classic Baked Egg & Milk Tarts. Served in a set of three, these were uniformly almost exact in their appearance. We found the pastry to be flaky and buttery with no undercooked portions. The egg yolk custard was silky and light while being only moderately sweet. Overall a very good egg tart!

A surprisingly excellent dessert was the Deep Fried Crispy Coconut Milk Roll. Sure, these were a touch greasy, but it didn't take away from the eating enjoyment we had. Super light and crispy, the deep fried shells were aromatic and sweet. Inside, we found thickened milk that was also aromatic and sweet. It helped provide some moisture to balance out the crispy shells. Super tasty, would order again!

Finally, we had another classic in the Steamed Sponge Cake. Loved the use of brown sugar which made the smell and taste deeply rich and almost toffee-like. The cake itself was airy and soft which made things very easy to eat. Really nice end to a generally solid Dim Sum meal. Sure, some things could've been better, but with all things considered, we had no complaints about the food or service. I can see why the place remains popular and hence, extremely busy.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- We had friendly service
- Even though it is busy, seating isn't overly cramped

The Bad:
- Some dishes could've used a few tweaks
- When you want to dine here after 11:30am, a reservation might not even help you

Song Huong Eatery

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Many years ago, I would visit Song Huong out on Nanaimo for their Vietnamese fare, in particularly, their Bò 7 Món. For those who are not familiar, this is seven courses of beef that is usually served during celebrations. So when they opened a second location near me, I knew I had to go. I actually went twice with the second visit being the one I had their Bò 4 Món. Yes, they no longer have the 7 courses, but hey, I'll take 4 courses!

But before, we got to the 4 courses of beef, we had the Bánh Cuốn Chả Lụa Bánh Cống on our initial visit. This consisted of steamed rice rolls with ground pork and wood ear mushroom as well as deep fried fish cake and Vietnamese ham. I thought the sheets of rice noodle were a bit firm, but still soft enough. Filling was tender with the crunch of the wood ear. Fish cake was crispy and soft in the middle.

Of course we have to try the Phở Tái Nạm Gân and this featured a broth that was fairly clean and not overly fatty. I would say the overall impact and flavour of the broth were good where we had some meatiness and I also could taste some of the usual components including star anise, daikon and charred onion. Noodles were al dente while the meats were tender. However, the portion size was concerning. Sure, I do have a bigger appetite, but really, this would be more of snack for me. At least maybe offer the option of an XL and I would gladly pay the higher price.

As for the Bún Bò Huế, there was definitely spice and a touch of brininess, but as for depth, it didn't have the hit of lemongrass that I would've liked. It was there and not strong enough, or not there at all. Even the brininess could've been dialed up by 3 times. Also, the portion size, like the Pho, was pretty small with a limited amount of noodles and only just enough meat. Again, an optional larger size would've been appreciated.

Moving away from noodle soups, we had the Lemongrass Chicken and Spring Roll Vermicelli Bowl. There are pros and cons about bone-in chicken, but for me personally, I'm not a fan of bone-in as it makes it really difficult to eat. With that being said, the chicken was moist and flavourful though. Spring roll was great with a crunchy rice paper wrapper. Pork and veggies in this was sweet and briny while being juicy.

Here we are with the Bò 4 Món with the first course being the Sliced Beef in vinegar hot pot. All the fixin's were there including rice paper and the hot water to dip them into (you only need to dip it for a few seconds!). Rice noodles, herbs, pickled veg, bean sprouts, onions and anchovy sauce were also there to wrap inside the rice paper along with the beef. There was a small amount of lemongrass, peanuts (on the side because my daughter has sensitivities) and chili sauce as well.

The next 3 courses consisted of Grilled Beef Rolls (Satay Beef, Beef wrapped in La Lot Leaves and Beef wrapped in Caul Fat). Naturally, these were all very similar where the ground beef was juicy and tender. They were well-seasoned being a bit sweetness while nicely charred and caramelized. We enjoyed wrapping the meats and making our own salad rolls. I really wished they still had the 7 courses, but I guess it might not have been a big seller, so it is understandable. Overall, the food is pretty solid at Song Huong, but portions are either too small or just average in size.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- They have Bò 4 Món

- This location is spacious and clean

The Bad:
- Portions are too small (should offer larger portions for an extra charge)

- Service is good, but sparse

Cibo Trattoria

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Sat, 30 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Cibo Trattoria is yet another restaurant I've not been back to for quite some time. I know in the meantime, there have been a few changes including the head chef. Currently, they have one that is from Naples, which gives the restaurant some legitimacy. However, we all know, it doesn't really matter where someone is from, rather, it is how they cook. We stopped by for an early dinner before heading over to the Orpheum for some music from the VSO.

To get things started, we had a bunch of appies including the Focaccia and Burrata. Extremely fluffy with a slightly crispy exterior, the focaccia was only okay for me. I wished I had some more inherent flavour from the bread before I dipped it into the EVOO and balsamic. As for the burrata, it was served with prosciutto. I thought the burrata was fresh as it was still creamy in the middle and not runny.

Really enjoyed the appetizer that I selected, which was the Grilled Humboldt Squid. This was a generous piece where it was a bit smoky from the grill. Loved the colour on it. It had an initial squishy chew to it, but gave way tenderness. It was properly seasoned and it rested a tangy arugula and chickpea salad. Some salsa verde added more brightness and seasoning.

Viv went for the Seared Ahi Tuna atop an orange fennel salad. Evenly seared on each side, the ahi tuna was soft, but a bit meaty at the same time. I wished there was some salt atop the tuna, but the citrus vinaigrette was plenty punchy to make things bright and tangy. More sweetness and crunch was added by the fennel and orange slices.

For our mains, we had a couple of pastas including the Linguine with Sea Scallops. The fresh pasta was prepared firmly al dente and had a good chew to it. Really great mouth-feel and completely fragrant from the saffron. The creaminess of the sauce held on tightly with the pasta without having a big pool of it on the bottom of the plate. Scallops were nicely seared and slightly rare in the middle.

With an abundance of meat sauce, the Tagliatelle al Ragu was my favourite dish. Just like the previous pasta, the tagliatelle was fresh and cooked until barely tender. There was a firmness to it that added texture and a robust quality to the dish. That was completely aided by the rich ragu where the meat was super tender while taking on the sweetness of the veggies. Super delicious.

In addition to the pastas, we also the Asparagus Risotto. There was an option to add scallops, but since we already had them, we had it as it came. Honestly, the dish didn't need it as it was plenty rich and cheesy with al dente grains of arborio rice. The risotto spread on the plate and that was our first indication of proper execution. Moreover, the distinct flavour of asparagus emanated from the risotto.

Although the Roasted Duck Breast was cooked to medium-rare where it was tender and juicy, the skin was a real miss. It was flabby and not crispy. Hence, it was chewy and frankly, unappealing. Really too bad as the meat was perfect. Furthermore, the amarena cherry jus provided the delicious sweet & tangy compliment to the duck.

Our meal then transitioned to dessert with the classic Tiramisu. This was textbook with soft espresso-soaked lady fingers as well as some liqueur. The mascarpone cream was light and mildly sweet. With a dusting of cocoa powder on top, we had some chocolaty goodness. Solid tiramisu.

The other dessert we had was the Vanilla Bean Pannacotta. This was also quite good where the pannacotta set properly but was not too gelatinized. Hence, it was creamy and light. Sweetness was measured and the fresh strawberries added brightness and sweet tang (pretty great even though they were not really in season yet). Overall, the meal at Cibo was beyond solid. Sure, somethings could've been better, but the new chef knows what they are doing with the pastas and the risotto. Would come back.

The Good:

- Solid pastas and risotto

- Well-portioned

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Duck skin was not great

New Mandarin (Dim Sum Peking Duck)

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Thu, 28 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

For awhile there, I was visiting New Mandarin for dinner and dim sum regularly. However, with me being out-of-town frequently and also Viv breaking her ankle, some things just got lost in the shuffle. Well, we would make a return to New Mandarin for dim sum and to try out their Beijing Duck special. Yes, most people don't order that for Dim Sum, but for only $59.98 for one course, that can be considered a deal!

Of course we had to get some Dim Sum in addition to the Beijing Duck. The first dish to hit the table was the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings with Scallop. These were light and crispy on the outside while not being overly greasy. Soft and fluffy, the mashed taro encased the usual ground pork filling. It was moist and was mixed with a starch-thickened sauce. Since the top was open due to the scallop, more oil seeped into the taro.

Since we ordered over $100.00 worth of dishes, we were presented with the bonus dish of BBQ Pork. Since this was the kurobuta variety, it was plenty fatty and hence juicy. It wasn't flabby though as there was just enough fat to make things rather bouncy and gelatinous. Meat was tender an moist. Really enjoyed the sweet honey-glazed bark.

As you can see in the picture above, the Beijing Duck was carved with crispy skin only and also breast meat with skin attached. This way, you could take your pick as to wrapping it with either option. Alternatively, you could merely eat the breast meat on its own. The duck was quite good with crispy skin that wasn't fatty while the breast meat was tender and flavourful.

For another $15.00, you could add another course in the Duck Lettuce Wrap. Really good value in my books because that would be $65.00 for 2 courses! This was also good with crunchy veggies and plenty of moist duck meat. Seasoning was a touch on the saltier side, but the hoisin helped balance it with sweetness. I love how the iceberg lettuce was in big pieces (can wrap better) and was not wet.

We got back to the Dim Sum with the Truffle Siu Mai. These were large while stuffed full of large shrimp and pork. The dumpling was uniformly bouncy and almost juicy. Natural sweetness from the pork and shrimp were present while the seasoning was just enough for impact. Truffle sauce was not distributed evenly, so 2 pieces were more truffly than the other two.

Of course, I must talk about the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings). As you can see, the dumpling skin on these was translucent and fairly thin. There was a slight chew to them, but they had good elasticity. I liked how they didn't fall apart when I picked them up. Inside, the shrimp filling was buttery and moist with an appealing snap. Proper seasoning on them too.

Other than tripe, the Steamed Bean Curd Skin Rolls are my favourite Dim Sum item. With an aggressive fry on the bean curd skin, it ensured a chewier texture (which was good). Inside, the pork filling was moist and had that requisite bouncy texture. Not much starch-thickened sauce in this one, so the bean curd skin did eat more dry. I didn't mind it, but others might.

Even though my kids were present for this meal, we still got the Shrimp Spring Rolls with Garlic (we like them too!). These were a bit small, but at least we had 4 of them to an order. They were crispy and just a touch greasy but that didn't make of break this dish. Inside, the shrimp filling was buttery and moist with that desired bounciness. Well-seasoned too with hits of garlickiness.

Even though there isn't a whole lot of food with the Steamed Chicken Feet, I love ordering it nonetheless. These were good with soft deep-fried skin that had a bite still. Underneath, the cartilage and fat were soft and ate easily. It wasn't too soft where things were melting away either. In terms of seasoning, it was plenty sweet, savoury and garlicky.

One of their more unique items is the Hot & Sour Soup Dumplings. They are somewhat similar to the ones found at Mott32. Usually, these are on point, but this time around, there was a lack of soup. Too bad really, as the dumpling skin was relatively thin and great elasticity. Also, the pork filling was tender with a slight rebound. The small amount of soup was classic hot and sour with tang and some spice.

One of Viv's favourite Dim Sum dishes is the Stuffed Eggplant. So yes, I ordered it! It was quite full of shrimp mousse, to the point where there was more than eggplant. Texturally, the mousse was not overly dense, yet not too airy either. It had a light rebound while being a good balance of savoury and sweet. The eggplant itself was tender without being mushy. We would've liked to see a saltier black bean sauce though.

We always prefer the Baked BBQ Pork Pastries over the BBQ pork buns and hence, we ordered our favourite. The pastry was generally flaky and buttery (mostly likely lardy), especially at the top. However, the sides were a touch gummy with less flakiness. Inside, the BBQ pork was mostly lean and enveloped in a sweet glaze.

One item I've never had before at New Mandarin is the Seafood & Chinese Yam Dumpling. These featured a translucent skin that was appealingly chewy with great elasticity. Inside, the pieces of seafood were cooked just right and there was a some greens in it for brightness. I thought these were a good alternative (or addition) to the ha gau if you one felt they wanted something different.

Moving onto 2 Rice Noodle Rolls, we had both the BBQ Pork and Prawn. Both were quite large and featured buttery soft rice noodle sheets. With that in mind, there was still some elasticity, so they didn't break upon contact. Lean and plentiful, the BBQ pork was really noticeable in every bite. That created a meatiness to go with the soft sheets of noodle. Same with the prawns, as you can see above, there was much more prawns (with a buttery snap) than noodle.

In a pretty dark shade of brown, the Beef Meatballs looked to be heavy with the dark soy. In terms of texture, these were a bit firmer than most other versions I've had lately. Hence, it was much more meaty than being airy or fluffy. With a good amount of greens mixed in, there was a herbaceous brightness to the meatball. This came in a set of four rather than the usual three everywhere else.

One of my favourite desserts at New Mandarin at their Deep Fried Purple Yam Chrysanthemum Balls. These were every-so-lightly-crispy while the inside had a mochi-like quality to them. However, the texture was almost fluffy and super airy. With some chrysanthemum and syrup, the whole thing was floral and sweet. With that being said, it wasn't crazy sweet either.

Finally, we had the classic Baked Egg Tarts served as a trio. Yes, they were a little inconsistent, with one being darker, then medium dark and light. However, they all ate flaky and buttery with discernible layers. Egg filling was silky and mildly sweet. Overall, this was another delicious Dim Sum service at New Mandarin. It was extra bountiful since we went for the Beijing Duck. Very well-priced as well.

The Good:

- Solid dim sum

- Service has improved over the years

- The Beijing Duck special

The Bad:

- With the place so busy, your meal might be a little rushed

Folietta

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

I've always been a fan of the family of restaurants run by the Wentworth Hospitality Group. These include Tableau, Maxine's and Homer St Cafe. So when I heard they opened Folietta Italian restaurant out on Nanaimo Street, I was anxious to try it out. Turns out that Viv beat me to the punch and went for their Happy Hour first. With positive feedback, I decided to book it for my mom's birthday dinner. Since it was an early reservation, we were able to order some items off the Happy Hour menu as well.

As such, I ordered quite a few things off of that menu including the Focaccia with Ricotta. We enjoyed the creaminess of the ricotta combined with the black truffle and olive oil. The flavours were not strong but definitely there to provide some aromatics. The focaccia itself had a firm crispy exterior giving way to a softer almost airy interior. We also ordered a plain focaccia with EVOO and balsamic. That was great with the pastas.

Also part of the happy hour menu, the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio was sliced paper-thin. As such it was also super buttery and tender. The fact there was only a modest amount of fat helped its cause as too much would make it chewy. On top, we found pickled mushroom, bagna cauda, smoked egg yolk and shaved reggiano. The combined flavours resulted in acidity, brininess and nuttiness. Didn't get a lot of smokiness from the egg yolk though, but loved the texture.

When Viv suggested we go for the Insalata Mista, I thought she was joking. When she pointed out that there was cubes of salumi and crispy pieces too, I was sold. That itself gave the salad plenty of robust saltiness to compliment the tanginess of the dressing and the pickled peppers/olives. Greens were crisp and fresh while the generous amount of sharp provolone afforded extra body to the salad.

From salad to all meat, we had the Polpette e Sugo. These meatballs consisted of veal and pork. They were soft and moist with an almost fluffy texture, but while retaining a certain meatiness. The slow-roasted sugo was bright and very tomatoey. Nice tanginess and balancing sweetness. That toasted focaccia was great with the sauce as it had a smoky crispiness.

Up until this point, the appies were quite good, yet the Calamaro was my favourite. Each strip of Humboldt squid was soft and tender while having a slight chew. Exterior was crispy and light as the coating wasn't too thick. Yet what really made this dish was the Puttanesca underneath. It was intensely flavourful with hits of brininess, salty tanginess and slight spice.

Rounding out our appies, that were all from the happy hour menu, was the Parmesan Crocchette. These were $3.00 per piece. I thought they were tasty with a crispy shell that revealed a soft and creamy mochi-like texture. Definitely could taste the salty nuttiness of the parmesan. With grated prosciutto di parma and reggiano on top, we got an extra hit of saltiness.

Onto our mid-course, we had some pastas including the Bigoli with Venetian duck ragu. This was absolutely fantastic with firm strands of thick bigoli. The texture of the pasta held onto the ragu well and each bite was impactful with rich meaty notes and sweetness. Extra body and nuttiness was provided by the cheese. Loved the texture of the crispy skin pangrattato.

As great as the first pasta was, the Linguine was equally delicious. It featured Zeke's spot prawns and the briny sweetness combined with the shellfish jus made this pasta memorable. The natural shellfish flavours created a connection with the prawns. Quite often, a seafood pasta is disconnected from the components as there is no seafood flavour. Not the case here.

We moved onto the main dishes starting with the Pollo e Crostone. As much as its appearance was fantastic, the chicken itself was rather dry. However, the piece of charred focaccia with garlic jus was super tasty. On the side, we had the Piselli Grigliati. I wanted to like the grilled spring peas but they were so limp and overdone, there was no texture left. On the other hand, the lemon ricotta at the bottom was creamy and tangy.

We weren't a fan of the chicken, but the Maiale was on point. The spiced pork chop was cooked beautifully where it was slightly pink inside, but fully cooked. Sporting a cheesy taleggio crust, there was some tanginess already, but the fennel sausage soffritto was money. It was meaty, salty and tangy. Really complimented the pork with brightness and umaminess.

Onto the sweets, we only shared 2 because we had a Trafiq cake waiting at home! With the marscapone crema poured on top table side, the Tiramisu was quite good. I found the ladyfingers to be soaked until moist while not being mushy. There was a balanced espresso hit while the marscapone itself was creamy and purposefully sweet. I thought the presentation was an interesting touch.

The other dessert we had was Dolci al Cioccolato Trio featuring dark chocolate terrine, chocolate salami and chocolate torte. This was a chocolate lovers dream! I loved the salami as the pistachios added crunch and nuttiness. Torte was rich and smooth with an appealing density. Nice sheen on the ganache in the terrine. Those candied hazelnuts added crunch. Overall, our meal at Folietta was good. I'd skip the chicken and snap peas though. Service was excellent and we would be open to a return visit.

The Good:

- Loved the pastas

- Lots of selection with the happy hour menu

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- It was busy, so food came out a bit slow

- Skip the chicken and snap peas

Prince Seafood Restaurant (King Crab)

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Sun, 24 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

As much as I love King Crab, I don't really eat it that often. It is not only the cost that is prohibitive, it is also the fact that I wouldn't order it for my family as we couldn't eat all of it. Plus, the kids don't really prefer it either. That only leaves one option - to eat it with a bunch of friends. Even with that, the last time we could round up enough people, that was like 10 years ago. However, I finally decided enough was enough as only 3 of us decided to go for the king crab dinner at Prince for $368.00. It is only a 7lb crab, but includes a choice of 2 other dishes.

First off, we were served the Steamed King Crab Legs with loads of minced garlic and scallions. Since these were split down the middle (as it commonly done), the meat was easy to access and completely flavoured by the garlic topping. They really picked out a plump crab for us as each leg was full of fluffy and sweet meat. It had a slight rebound texture and the garlickiness really came through. Definitely had some bad breath afterwards!

So we had the legs, now the next dish was the Crab Body Meat Tou Chou stir-fried with eggplant. This reminded me a little of a fish hot pot where the seasoning was savoury and full of umami, especially from the green onions, red onions and ginger. Deep-fried before the wok toss, the crab body meat was still fluffy and moist. Ironically, the best part of the dish was actually the eggplant as it was flash-fried, maintaining its integrity while taking on the multitude of flavours.

One dish that was on our hit list was the Tea Smoked Chicken. This had many elements similar to soy sauce chicken except with more depth and of course smokiness. We found the dark meat to be tender and juicy while the white meat to be a bit drier. It wasn't tough to chew though as it was still tender. It just wasn't as succulent as some other similar chickens prepared the same way. It could've been partially due to the use of free-range chicken as the meat can be a bit more chewy.

Don't laugh, but I have this love for Sweet & Sour Pork. Heck, I don't even mind the North Americanized version of it too. So whenever I get the chance, I will order it. This particular dish was presented in a half-hollowed out pineapple. As much as I appreciated the fresh pineapple and the balanced sauce (where there was just enough of it), the pork itself was squishy. Normally, the sauce does soften the fried exterior of each piece, but this was downright mushy. The meat was extremely tender being the fattier portions, but the texture was off-putting.

Of course we had to get our veggies and that we did with the Minced Pork with Baby Gai Lan with belacan (shrimp paste) served in a sizzling ceramic hot pot. This was naturally briny and a bit funky, but that added considerable depth to the dish. The gai lan was cooked through, but still crunchy and vibrant. The fact it was served sizzling in a hot pot, it intensified the aromas and also kept things warm.

We finished the meal with the Stir-Fried Imitation Shark's Fin with egg and dried ham. This was all about the texture as the crunch from the bean shoots and firm vermicelli had a great mouth-feel. Add in the dried ham and there was some rich saltiness to the dish, without be salty (if that makes sense). Overall, this was a decent king crab meal. Sure, the crab was a bit smaller, but it worked for the amount of people we had. The other dishes were solid, except for the Sweet & Sour Pork. Service was also quite good.

The Good:

- Large portions

- Generally solid eats

- Service was great

The Bad:

- Sweet & Sour Pork was below average

Ssal Korean Cuisine

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Fri, 22 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

For the longest time, West Van was pretty limited when it came to Asian cuisine. There was a smattering of places (including ones that have since closed), but you'd have to head into Downtown Vancouver to get your fix. Slowly but surely, we've seen things change but one would never confuse West Van with Richmond. However, I was in the area and ended up checking out a highly-rated Korean spot called Ssal.

We got a Cucumber Salad to start but naturally, we had some Banchan as well. This included bean sprouts, kimchi and fish cake. Nothing out-of-the ordinary here but the kimchi was quite good with a noted spice and tang. As for the cucumbers, they were fresh and crunchy with the nuttiness of sesame and the tanginess from the dressing. There was also some spice too.

Not trying to be defaultish, but we did get the Japchae as well. This was a manageable portion that was prepared properly. The noodles were chewy and slippery (not clumpy) yet at the same time, not too greasy. It was loaded with ingredients such as beef, spinach, carrots, peppers, mushrooms and onions. Texturally, things were what they were supposed to be and the seasoning was balanced not being overly sweet.

Then we got into the really good stuff with a small order of the Soy Garlic Chicken. For a small order, this was plenty generous. It consisted of 5 big chunks of leg meat that was fried until crispy. Inside, the meat was juicy and gelatinous. The soy garlic was impactful with a sweet saltiness and the aromatics of garlic. The glaze could've been a touch thicker as it didn't adhere to the chicken as much as I would've liked.

Bubbling hot on arrival, the Doenjang Jjigae with seafood was fully-loaded. We found a mix of shellfish, veggies and mushroom in a mildly-spicy broth. There was some depth and background sweetness. The seafood was cooked well, not being chewy or dry. I really enjoyed the buttery soft tofu but the broth could use a bit more spice. But they could be appealing to the typical customer.

In addition to the great dishes we had so far, the Beef Short Ribs was on point. If you refer to the picture above, you can see that each piece was mostly meat without too much fat nor gristle. Marinated just enough, the short ribs were tender, but still maintained a natural meatiness. Due to the marinade, there was a savoury sweetness with the aromatics of sesame oil.

We had one more item in the Spicy Pork Dol-Sot-Bab. This was pretty good with quite a bit of meat dressed in a spicy gochujang sauce. When mixed with the rest of the components and allowing the rice to crisp up on the sides of the dolset, this was full of different textures. However, I do prefer the original bibimbap more due to its simplicity. Also, it could be a bit spicier. Overall, the food at Ssal was pretty good and well-portioned. People are friendly there too.

The Good:

- Above average eats

- Well-portioned

- Nice people

The Bad:

- People are nice, but service can be a bit slow

John 3:16 Malaysian Delights (Burnaby)

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Wed, 20 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Way back in 2014, John 3:16 opened up shop in Richmond. That was followed up by their short-lived North Vancouver location. My first visit was to the one on Lonsdale and it was pretty good in my opinion. Other locations followed including their newest in Burnaby. Located underneath Oyama Sushi on Kingsway, the once quiet shaved ice spot is now busy with people enjoying the Malaysians eats. We met up with Aussie as he was in town.

Whenever I'm grabbing Malaysian food, it is by default I order the Roti Canai. For me, I'm looking for something flaky with discernible layers. This one here was on point. Beyond the crispy exterior, the inside of the roti was almost fluffy and plenty buttery. The airiness of the roti allowed for it to be ripped apart easily by hand. That texture had great mouth feel and by dipping it in the slightly spicy coconut curry, it was a delicious. Oh, the side of sugar was great too as it provided a different experience than the curry alone.

The roti got us to an excellent start and the Chicken Satay didn't disappoint either. Beautifully-charred, the exterior was also completely caramelized. With the plenty of sugar in the marinade, it was activated from the grilling becoming super sweet and smoky. There was the brightness of lemongrass coming through as well. By using thigh meat, the chicken was super juicy. The side of satay sauce was sweet and nutty.

Moving on from the appies, we went for a classic dish in the Beef Rendang. By looking at the dish, you can see this was a saucier version (generally, there is no "sauce" in this dish), but we really didn't mind that. The coconut milk was at the forefront offering up rich creaminess and aromatics. Although the caramelization wasn't present in this dish, the sweetness of the palm sugar and coconut milk helped make this impactful. The beef itself was super tender and not dry.

Another intensely aromatic and flavourful dish was the Assam Fish Curry. This had all of the usual hits of spice, tang, sweet and umami with tender deep-fried filets of fish. Of those flavours, the tanginess was the most apparent and it made things rather appetizing. Since the fish had been fried first, it was cooked evenly where the skin soaked up a lot of the sauce. The fish itself was buttery and soft while not falling apart.

Aussie's wife really loves prawns, so it was without hesitation we ordered the Nyonya Assam Prawns. Having been fried, the prawns were completely edible including the shell. As such, the natural prawn essence was present in smell and taste. Tangy and sweet, the tamarind sauce clung onto each prawn providing a complimentary flavour to the meaty and briny meat. Some crunchy veggies completed the stir fry.

As you might already know, there are many variations of Hainanese Chicken in SE Asia and the Malaysian one is a bit similar to the Thai version. For this one, they employed the addictive ginger garlic sauce that really amped the impact. The chicken itself was juicy and cooked perfectly. On the side, the chicken oil rice was nutty, well-seasoned and appealingly chewy. There was also the classic condiments of ginger scallion and sweet chili sauce on the side.

Going for a meat-centered dish, we had the Special BBQ Pork Ribs. These were large and super meaty. Prior to being BBQ'd, these were cooked to the point they were fall-off-the-bone tender. Smoky and well-charred, the ribs had a bit of a crispy exterior and the sweet glaze was caramelized. Intense flavours that made every bite a memorable one. Really enjoyed these.

Of course we got veggies too in the form of Nyonya Eggplant and Stir-Fried Green Beans with Garlic Sauce. Gotta say that the eggplant was excellent. Each piece was tender and soft without being mushy. There was definitely caramelization happening with a sweet smokiness. As for the beans, they were flash fried first before the wok-toss. Despite also exhibiting caramelization and sufficient seasoning, the beans themselves were a little soft.

In addition to all this food, we just had to get a fried noodle in the form of the Chow Kway Teow. Super classic dish that was properly wok fried. It was smoky and seared, creating umaminess and caramelization. Add in the charred slices of lap cheong (cured pork sausage), the chewy rice noodles benefitted from the saltiness and rendered fat. I would've liked more brininess to the dish though. This was a solid version of the popular Malaysian dish.

Our final item was the Nasi Goreng with fried chicken. Another winner as the wok hei (intense wok heat) was on point. It created a smoky nuttiness where the chewy rice was well-seasoned. The side of sambal ensured we could make this as spicy as wanted. The piece of fried chicken thigh on top was super juicy, well-brined and sported a crunchy coating. Overall, the food at John 3:16 is solid and tasty. Sure, some dishes are prepared a bit differently than the traditional version, but that didn't lessen our enjoyment.

The Good:

- Flavourful

- Good wok hei

- Decent portion sizes

The Bad:

- Different interpretation of certain dishes (and could be considered not authentic), but still tasty if you don't care about that

Yang's Dumplings

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Mon, 18 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

I'm not a fan of lineups when it comes to anything. However, there are times that I give in and actually wait for however long it is to get the payoff. So when Yang's Dumplings opened up in Richmond, I was tempted to wait in line. So would it be worth it for some Sang Jeen Bao (Pan Fried Pork Buns)? This popular chain is from Shanghai and are famous for the aforementioned dish. Ultimately, I decided to wait and return when there was no lineup. That I did and got seated right away and in fact, the food came shockingly fast as well.

Despite literally only taking minutes from when we ordered for the Yang's Dumplings (Pan Fried Pork Buns) to arrive, they were quite good. We could see them making these to order and pan-frying them continuously. Hence, the immediacy of the dish being ready. Unlike many other versions, the bun portion was thin and almost resembled a regular dumpling except for a touch of fluffiness. The bottom of the bun (it was really the top) was super crispy and nutty. Inside, there was considerable amount of soup that was only a touch greasy. It was sweet and meaty with a bit of xiaoshing wine aroma. The meat was tender and bouncy. Really enjoyed this, but wished these were served hotter. Since they are continuously pan-frying these, maybe our dish was possibly sitting for a bit.

We also went for with their other featured bun in the Shrimp Dumplings. Sure, both the previous dish and this one are described as dumplings on the menu, but in reality, these are still buns in my opinion. But as mentioned, their version is more like dumplings than the usual pan fried buns. For the shrimp dumpling, it consisted of 3 whole shrimp hidden inside the thin layer of bun. I found the shrimp to have a good rebound texture while being sweet. There was a little less soup than the pork bun (maybe just less fat), but it was still tasty and full of umami. Even though I liked this dumpling, I thought the pork version was superior in terms of impact and texture.

For our larger dishes, I went for their Signature Duck Vermicelli Soup. The best part of that was the broth as it was slightly gelatinous and full of natural duck flavour. Although the broth was seasoned, it wasn't heavy, thus it let the duck essence do the heavy lifting. Other than the slippery vermicelli noodles, we found blood, gizzards, slices of duck and tofu puffs on top. I thought the duck was fairly tender while the skin was a bit flabby. Gizzards were on point with a certain chewiness without actually being tough. The small cubes of blood had some bounce and that usual iron-finish. Overall a solid, if not very subtle-tasting bowl of noodles.

On the other hand, the Diced Beef Hot & Sour Potato Starch Noodle Soup was much more bold in flavour. With that being said, it wasn't overly spicy though. The broth didn't have a considerable amount of depth but didn't taste like water either. It helped that the little nuggets of beef (and the braising liquid) added the necessary meatiness for the bowl of noodles. As for the noodles themselves, they were at their slippery best while being semi-soft.

One under-the-radar dish was the Mini-Pork Wontons in chicken broth. Lightly sweet and not overly salty, the chicken broth was quite good. Those mini-wontons featured delicate wrappers that were a bit soft. Inside, the pork filling was rather tasty and definitely tender with some bounciness. Sure, this wasn't a dish that would blow people away, but it was comforting and familiar.

Just to ensure we got something veggies into the meal, we opted for the Seasonal Vegetables. This was actually blanched yau chow with some soy sauce. Pretty simple dish, but at least the yau choy was cooked just right having a crunch left in the stalks while being cooked through. Overall, the meal at Yang's was quite good and those pan-fried pork dumplings were on point. I would come for those specifically, while the other dishes were average, but competent.

The Good:

- Those pan-fried pork dumplings

- Okay pricing

- Efficient system, get your food quickly

The Bad:

- Other items were average

Luxe Chinese Seafood Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Sat, 16 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

It's been like more than 11 years ago since I last had Dim Sum at Luxe Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Langley. Well, the picture of the front is from 2015 since I forgot to take an updated one... Anyways, the reason we came back here is that Guy Smiley lives nearby and this was the closest Dim Sum spot. From what I remember, the Dim Sum is decent, especially for Willowbrook.

So they did away with the push carts and now we have to order with the server. The first dish to hit the table was the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings. This was a good version where the exterior was crispy and only moderately greasy. Beyond that, the mashed taro was silky and well-seasoned. Nice use of lard (yes, they use lard) mixed into it. The ground pork filling was tender and mildly saucy.

One of our favourite Dim Sum dishes is the Baked BBQ Pork Pastries. Sure, there is some good ol' lard in there, but that is what makes it good! This one was indeed that with flaky & buttery layers. It had a nice colour from the egg wash on the top. Beyond the aromatic and nutty pastry, the BBQ pork filling was delicious. It was sweet & savoury with chunks of lean BBQ pork.

After the pastries, there was a flurry of steamer baskets arriving including the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings). These were large and plump but the dumpling skin was a bit chewy. I guess that was a whole lot better than being wet and mushy though. Inside, the shrimp filling was decent with a meaty bounce texture. It was well-seasoned with a good balance of flavours including the aromatic sesame oil.

Of course one cannot have the Ha Gau without the Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings). These were also rather large and stuffed full of bouncy sweet shrimp. There was a good amount of it to compliment the chunks of pork. I would've liked to see a bit more rebound with the pork as it was more on the meatier and dense side. I liked how the tobiko on top was added after steaming and there was also some mushroom to provide earthy notes.

For those who don't know, I absolutely love offal and I was delighted we got both the Bible Tripe and Honeycomb Tripe. Portion size on both were average compared to some others I've had lately. Execution was pretty good as the bible tripe was soft with a tender chew. Nice green onion and ginger notes. The honeycomb tripe was pretty soft and didn't require much chewing. Nice garlicky sweetness with a touch of spice.

One dish that could've been a bit better was the Steamed Chicken Feet. The method here is to deep fry them first, then braise and finally steam. I think theses were cooked a bit too long and hence, the skin was falling off in places. However, being too soft is way better than being chewy. The tendons and cartilage underneath were soft as well. Flavour was good with garlic and spice.

I think the picture of the Beef Meatballs clearly shows how soft they were. These were very fluffy and airy from the being in the mixer. Naturally, the natural meat texture was non-existent, but that is the point of the dish though. The combination of baking soda, starch and mixing create the fluffy meatballs. These had a limited amount of greens, so it wasn't overwhelming. If you like them airy, these would be your fancy.

One of the best dishes we had was the Steamed Pork Spareribs. If you examine the picture above, you will notice most pieces were rib portions and short on the fatty ones. The meat was marinated enough so that they were tenderized, yet still had a chew. Nice rebound texture and the seasoning was on point with saltiness, garlickiness and spice.

For the kids, we got the Sticky Rice wrapped in lotus leaves. These were large and stuffed full of soft sticky rice. Maybe there was a bit too much moisture as it was a tad mushy. It didn't make or break the dish though as it was still tasty. There was a plethora of ground pork that was sitting in a starch-thickened sauce. That was enough to provide seasoning and meat into every bite.

Another favourite of mine is the Bean Curd Skin Rolls. Happy to report the ones here were good. The fried bean curd skin had a slightly chewy texture, yet was also tender. Inside, the pork filling had a decent rebound, but was more meaty in texture. Nice crunch from the veggies. There was a bit of starch-thickened sauce, but not too much. Maybe more oil than sauce (didn't mind that though).

For our choice of rice noodle roll, we went for the Beef Rice Noodle Roll. As you can see in the picture above, they stuffed them full of whipped beef. Texturally, the beef was light and airy like the beef meatballs. As for the rice noodle itself, I would say it was quite thin yet a little on the firmer side. There was still an appealing elasticity where the noodle didn't break on contact.

Surprisingly, my niece wanted the Deep Fried Squid Tentacles. I guess it should've been obvious since she was getting in touch with her Taiwanese roots. This dish was both good and bad. The squid itself had an appealing chew and rebound. However, the coating was a bit soggy in spots and was also rather uneven. It did taste good though with a salty and garlicky spice.

We went for one of our go-to dishes in the XO Daikon Radish Cake. However, I wasn't a huge fan of this. For some reason, they wok-tossed the deep-fried cubes in a wet sauce (possibly soy sauce) and hence, the crispiness went away. In fact, the texture was slimy and gummy, which was rather off-putting. Normally, a wok-toss with just XO-sauce would've sufficed and since it is an oil-based sauce, it wouldn't have made the dish wet.

At the end, we got an order of the BBQ Pork Buns as well as the Egg Tarts. Fluffy and light, the buns were texturally on point. They were filled with the same lean BBQ pork found in the pastries. As for the egg tarts, they were good. The buttery and flaky puff pastry was fully-cooked through while the egg custard was silky and only semi-sweet. Overall, the Dim Sum at Luxe is decent. Sure, Richmond Dim Sum is better, but for Langley, Luxe continues to offer the best in the neighbourhood.

The Good:

- Solid Dim Sum for Langley

- Decent selection

- Fairly friendly service

The Bad:

- Not as good as ones found in Richmond, but great for Langley

Salt & Steak

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Thu, 14 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

When Salt & Steak opened a year ago, I was a bit sad that Fresh Cravings had closed. Hey, it wasn't the best place to get brunch, but it was affordable and completely serviceable. Well, when one door closes, another opens right? With The Keg a bit up the road, there is competition nearby. That also includes Cactus Club across the street from the Keg on Scott Road. One thing that Salt & Steak has over everyone else in the neighbourhood is that their steaks are Halal. I dropped by one night for dinner to see if their 4.6 on Google was reflective of their food.

We started with the Warm Three Cheese Spinach Dip. This was definitely cheesy as advertised and the spinach portion of the dip was creamy and well-seasoned. They didn't skimp on the portion size and was more than enough for us as an appie. However, we felt that garlic toast was not the best accompaniment though. Even though it was good, there was too much bread. Something like tortilla chips or fried pita chips would've been more appropriate.

We had their monthly special in the Beef Lasagna and despite it being serviceable, I thought it was not very refined. I appreciated the plethora of melted mozzarella, but that was far too much it and I would've liked to see a bit of a cheese crust going on. Inside, it was okay with tender ground beef, bechamel and even more cheese. I wanted to like this, but it wasn't my preference.

Before I get to the steak, I'll discuss the Salt & Steak Signature Beef Burger. Despite not looking like it, the burger was actually decent. The house-made patty was almost a bit airy and extremely tender. For some people, it might be a bit too soft of a patty, but I didn't mind it. The brioche bun was light and barely held together. The side of fresh-cut fries were somewhat crispy.

Okay, for our steak, we had the T-Bone that was around 18 to 20oz. We asked for it to be prepared medium-rare and it was as such (on both the striploin and the tenderloin). Nice char on both sides and the seasoning was sufficient. Since this should be their bread and butter, I'm glad to say this was done right. Meat was tender and definitely smoky from the grilling. The side of veggies were also grilled and not overdone. In the end, we liked the burger and the spinach dip, but the lasagne, not so much. However, the steak was our favourite dish of the meal. Good thing too as the place is a steakhouse.

The Good:
- Steak was cooked perfectly
- Friendly service
- Certified Halal

The Bad:
- I may need to try more dishes, but other than the steak and burger, some refinement maybe needed

Haliná Modern Filipino Kitchen + Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Tue, 12 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Remember when they said Filipino cuisine would be the next big thing? That was back in 2012 and then re-stated again in 2017. I don't know about you, but it didn't catch on as much as it should have. I mean, there are more Filipino restaurants now and many of them are quite good, yet it is almost a surprise when we see a new one. Halina Modern Filipino Kitchen & Bar has been around for about one year and as the name suggests, they dish up Filipino food. Eileen, Jackie and I decided to check it out.

Normally, we don't do that many drinks at brunch, but when Eileen wants drinks, she goes for it! We tried the Araw Araw, Pandan Fizz, El Nido and Tita 'Be-By. These were right up my alley since all were fruity and refreshing. Sweetness was definitely there, but not so much I couldn't drink them. I particularly enjoyed the pineapple juice in the El Nido as it was tangy from the calamansi and lemon juice.

One of my favourite Filipino dishes is Sizzling Sisig. It can be made with pig's face meat or pork belly. In this case, it was pork belly. I personally like the pig's face more as the meat is gelatinous and fatty. But no matter, they did a good job here with crispy crackling and buttery tender meat. Definitely rich especially with the chicken liver sauce and the silky egg. There was a touch of spice from the serrano peppers and a quick squeeze of the calamansi added tangy sweetness.

Continuing with pork belly, we had the Inihaw na Liempo served with garlic rice and salad. There was a good amount of grilled pork belly that was meaty with some fat. Nice tang from the calamansi and caramelized sweetness from the cane sugar. We found some atchara (pickled green papaya) and toyomansi (soy & calamansi dip) on the side.

Since we were here for brunch, we had a classic Filipino item in the Tapsilog. This consisted cured beef, garlic rice, salad and 2 sunny side eggs. I thought this was solid where the beef was tender while not dry (despite being cured). I thought the flavours were balanced and not overly salty nor sweet. Of course, the toyomansi helped provide that extra kick. Combining the garlic rice, tapa and egg yolk, it was a delicious bite.

Also on the table was the Grilled Chicken Inasal featuring charred lemongrass chicken leg. This was smoky, sweet and aromatic. Charring was substantial and it really added depth-of-flavour as well as fully rendering the skin. Underneath, the meat was succulent and juicy. Really went well with the garlic rice, especially when combined with the toyomansi.

Onto dessert, we shared a few orders of the Ube Cassava Cake. These were topped with ice cream, caramel and cheddar toasted coconut. Moist and slightly dense, the cake was sweet, but not overly so. The ice cream and caramel did the heavy lifting for the sweetness. Overall, we enjoyed the food at Haliná and the people there are super nice. Would definitely come back!

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Nice people

- Cool space

The Bad:

- Food comes out a bit slow

Loula's

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Sun, 10 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Just like most cuisines outside of North America, Greek food is served family-style. Up until recently, it was pretty much accepted that someone would order a honking huge dish of roast lamb with rice, potatoes, veggies, tzatziki and pita. Well, thankfully, we are seeing a trend towards sharing plates. Actually, this has been happening for quite some time, but it seems to be popular across the board. That brings us to Loula's on Commercial Drive. They belong to the same group as Nammos and Selene Aegean, where yes, they do promote sharing plates.

We began the sharing with the Mediterranean Dips featuring hummus, tarama, smoked eggplant spicy feta and tzatziki. Beyond these dips, the star of the show was the pita. They were well-charred with a slightly crispy exterior and a fluffy chewy centre. Dips were great too with a well-seasoned hummus that had some texture to go with the blended smoothness. As expected, the tarama was a bit briny and tangy. Loved the eggplant dip as it was indeed smoky with some spice.

Another delicious mezze was the Spanakopita. Loved the colour on the phyllo pastry. It wasn't only aesthetically-pleasing, as it was crispy and plenty aromatic and nutty. Inside, the spinach and feta filling was delicate but not mushy. Loved the added sweetness of honey as it balanced everything out. Extra feta on the side allowed things to be creamier.

We got more of that awesome grilled pita with our order of Saganaki. As much as the pita was great with the fried sheep's cheese, I thought this dish could've been better. It was not as as golden brown uniformly as I would've liked. Even the bottom was somewhat pale. Despite this, the cheese itself was still crispy on the outside and a bit nutty.

Next up was a great portion of Calamari. This featured a good mix of tubes and tentacles. They were lightly dusted and ended up to be golden and crispy. Seasoning was a bit aggressive and the texture of the squid was tender with a nice chewiness. I particularly enjoyed the tentacles as they have more bite. The tzatziki underneath was creamy and bright.

We ended up with both the Chicken Souvlaki and the Tiger Prawn Souvlaki. They were properly grilled where the charring was evident in both appearance and taste. As for the chicken, it remained tender and juicy. The prawns were aromatic and had a meaty snap texture. Both were well-seasoned with the pepperiness of oregano. Once again, the tangy tzatziki was a nice compliment.

Normally, Jackie and Eileen don't eat lamb, but since they know I love lamb, they ordered the Roast Lamb Shoulder (Arni Psito). Turns out they ended up trying some as it was really good! The generous portion was super tender and gelatinous while benefitting from the smokiness of the char. The Lamb Jus that came with it was full of depth, but a bit salty. It sat on a bed of smooth mashed potatoes and grilled broccolini and zucchini.

To compliment the lamb, we had the Patates which were robust and slightly charred in spots. I enjoyed these as they were soft and creamy with the essence of rosemary. Furthermore, the seasoning on them was impactful without being salty (could've used a bit more lemon). Possibly, the sear/char on them could've been more even as well.

I was happy that they had Ekmek on the menu as it is one of my favourite Greek desserts. This one was excellent as it was served really cold, hence it had some semi-freddo vibes to it. It was creamy and sweet, but not too sweet. Beyond the almost frozen whipped cream, the custard was firm too but still had a velvety texture. The phyllo at the bottom added some light crispiness. Overall, our meal at Loula's was quite good. Their Mezze are on point and their souvlaki are cooked beautifully. A good option for Greek on The Drive.

The Good:

- Food as a whole is solid

- Charring on the pita and souvlaki are excellent

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Some dishes were a bit salty

Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Fri, 08 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

I'm sure many of you have heard about the recent closure of Chef Hung's Richmond location after 17 years in business at Aberdeen Centre. That means there are only two locations left at SFU and UBC. If you've ever read any reviews about the UBC store, there are some real concerns about serious mismanagement. I haven't been to this location for quite some time, so it was a bit surprising to see the place go downhill since my last visit. Mercifully, they are now under new management that is committed to sharpening up their operations. Jackie and dropped by to see for ourselves.

On the surface, things were operating as usual and there was a decent amount of business considering we were there at 3:00pm on a weekend. Before we got to the noodles, we had some smaller items in the Braised Pork Hock, Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets and Marinated Egg. Served in large pieces, the pork hock was the ideal texture. The gelatinized skin as tender and underneath, the fat and tendon were buttery and soft. Seasoning was mild, yet effective where the pork flavour wasn't too strong. Rather, we had a good balance of salty and sweet. Chicken Nuggets were also large while lightly coated. They were crispy and well-seasoned with the classic salty-peppery vibes (and a touch of five-spice). Inside, the dark meat was juicy. As for the eggs, they were flavourful, but since they were fully done (typical for this type of egg), it was rubbery and had that grey ring. Still good though!

Another trio of side dishes consisted of Boiled Broccoli, Cold Mixed Baby Cucumbers and Marinated Pig's Ear. Even though we had broccoli in some of the dishes already, we felt more veggies wouldn't hurt. They were cooked just right being still a bit crunchy. Also crunchy, the cucumbers were refreshing and nicely marinated. Really enjoyed the stacked, then sliced pig's ear as they were gelantious and had a light crunch from the cartilage. Once again, the braising liquid added umaminess to the pig's ear and of course some sweetened soy vibes.

As you can see in the picture above, the Marinated Beef Roll was fairly large and completely stuffed. The pancake itself was slightly crispy on its surfaces while the pastry had a bite. It could've been a bit more flaky though. Inside, the ample sliced beef shank was a bit thick, yet still plenty tender. I wished there was more hoisin though (but you can ask for more). The matchstick cucumbers were fresh and added a bright crunch.

We got 2 of their Deep Fried Ginger Chicken Wings and they were the whole wing including the dummette and tip. They were uniformly golden brown which also meant the skin was fairly crispy. It was also rendered well, so there wasn't any flabby parts. Loved the marinated meat as it was juicy, tender and slightly gelatinous. As promised, there was a nice gingery hit as well.

Onto the dishes we were really here for - The Taiwanese Beef Noodles! We had one each of the Award-Winning Beef Shank, Tendon & Tripe with Noodle in Soup and Champion Beef Shank with Noodle in Soup and . These 2 bowls were very similar except for the former having thick noodles and the latter having thin noodles. Naturally, the former had 2 extra items. The soup itself was quite good with a solid beef presence. It had depth-of-flavour and sweetness with just a subtle hint of spice. Noodles were al dente with the thick noodles being extra chewy (in a good way). I think the thin noodles picked up more of the soup flavour though. Meats were tender with the tendon being soft and gelatinous. Tripe was soft while retaining a mild chewiness. I thought the beef shank was more tender than the brisket, but that was because of the braised connective tendons.

Moving onto 2 different types of beef noodle, we had the Champion Beef Brisket with Noodle in Clear Soup as well as the Champion Braised Beef with Noodle in Tomato Soup. With the clear soup, it was certainly clean-tasting and naturally mild with some sweetness. The brisket was a bit drier here, yet not too chewy. We also found a few slices of tender beef that were quite delicious. I have to say that the tomato soup was not as strong as I would've liked. It definitely had the essence of tomato and we also found some fresh grape tomatoes too, but I wanted more tang. The braised beef was fall-apart tender and had a rich braised flavour.

We had one more noodle that was similar to the first 2 but also somewhat different as well. This was the Braised Beef Tendon & Shank with Noodle in Green Pepper Soup. Despite not appearing to be any different, the soup was distinct. There was definitely more spiciness (but not too strong) as well as a background numbing. It was slightly tangy and a bit green tasting (despite the soup looking brown)

In addition to their large selection of beef noodles, they have rice bowls as well. We ended up trying the Taiwanese-Style Deep Fried Chicken Cutlet and also the Deep Fried Pork Chop. As you can see, both were similar except that the pork chop had some braised pork underneath. This meant the rice was saucier and more robust from the rich meat flavours. Both had a crispy coating and the typical Taiwanese seasoning of salt, white pepper and five spice. Meats were juicy and tender, especially the thick dark meat chicken. Overall, the food at Chef Hung was what I expected. It was solid and considering the cost of food these days, reasonably-priced. I like that they are trying to improve the service and overall experience because that was an issue with this location.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Reasonable pricing

- Portions were fair too

The Bad:

- Decor is a bit worn

- Smaller location with limited seating

La Terraza (Happy Hour)

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Wed, 06 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

As mentioned in my previous post, many people are looking for value these days when it comes to dining out. Hence we see the increasing popularity of all-you-can-eat (AYCE) as well as the veritable Happy Hour. There are quite a few options in the GVRD with many being at chain restaurants. However, did you know that a fine dining spot has a rather affordable Happy Hour that features some appealing items? La Terrazza has been a Yaletown staple since it opened in 1998 and yes, they have a Happy Hour menu from 5:00pm - 7:00pm. Only 19+ as it is only served in the bar area.

Jackie and I dropped by prior to a concert at Rogers Arena. We began with the 1/2 Dozen Oysters. Totally wasn't paying attention to what was the type, but they were definitely Westcoast. Small like kusshis, these were clean-tasting, a bit briny and pretty sweet. They were shucked properly with no shell fragments. Condiments included yuzu pink peppercorn vinaigrette, horseradish, hot sauce and lemon.

Staying with cold, we also had the Chilled Tiger Prawn Cocktail. These were prepared well being cooked just enough where the bounciness of the prawns were cold-water crunchy. This was served with a horseradish rose sauce that was tangy and slightly sweet with a bite at the end. Now if that wasn't your fancy, there was also a seared half-lemon too.

Still with the cold appies, we had the Beef Carpaccio served with a side of freshly-baked fontina flatbread. This was a competent version where the Angus Reserved beef tenderloin was tender and moist. Possibly, there could've been a bit more condiments to this, but the black truffle vinaigrette did have impact with its tangy woodsiness. Loved the flatbread as it was warm and slightly crispy. Plenty of nuttiness as well.

We moved onto some pastas including the Gnocchi al Forno. Baked with plenty of mozzarella on top, this was plenty cheesy and robust. We found the gnocchi to be good where they were soft, but not too much so that there wasn't any texture. As for the San Marzano tomato sauce, it was nicely balanced where it was naturally sweet with only a bit of tanginess. Lots of depth and it was bright.

Our favourite dish of this Happy Hour menu was the Strozzapretti Bolognese. Starting with the pasta, the shaped held onto the sauce effectively. On top of that, the texture was spot on where it was tender, but had a firm bite as well. Oh and the bolognese, it was so delicious. Just slightly creamy, but plenty tomatoey, the cooked down meat was tender and full of umami. I could eat a few of these myself!

Just to round out our meal, I just had to get the Truffle Parmesan Fries. Yah, probably other things to order off the menu, but I just love fries! These were serviceable being crispy and well-salted. The star of the dish was indeed the truffle aioli. super creamy and nutty. Overall, the Happy Hour menu at La Terrazza is a steal in my opinion. In this economy, it is nice to see we can still have a meal with quality ingredients for an affordable price. Located in Yaletown too!

The Good:

- Affordable, especially for Downtown

- Lovely setting and service

- High-quality food

The Bad:

- Only in the bar area, so pretty dark and limited in space

Alchemy (Happy Hour)

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Mon, 04 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Considering the state of the economy, dining out is now considered a real luxury (if it wasn't before). Hence, that is one of the first things that is cut out of people's budgets. Yet, there are ways to save some money and still dine out - taking advantage of Happy Hour menus. We've seen many of them including those at chain restaurants such as Cactus Club, Earls and Tap & Barrel. We also find them at many independent restaurants too and that brought us to Alchemy in Yaletown. Located at the end of Mainland, it is a bit hidden as compared to the rest of the businesses.

What drew me to their happy hour menu was the fair pricing especially for Yaletown. We started off with the Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip served in a beautiful tree trunk platter. Surrounded by multi-coloured tortilla chips, we found a ramekin filled with dip. They delivered on the promise of cheesy where it was stringy and fairly thick. Really solid cheese dip and we actually needed more chips to dust it off.

For $15.95, we felt the Beef Carpaccio was a good value. It came with a large piece of pizza bread that was soft with an appealing chew. The thinly-sliced beef tenderloin was tender and dressed with arugula, shaved Grana Padano, capers, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Nice balance of acidity, tang, saltiness and nuttiness. Solid dish.

One dish that was just okay was the Smoked Salmon Bruschetta. I'm not even sure if this is on the menu anymore either. In actuality, there was nothing wrong with the individual components as the crostinis were crunchy, yet not too hard while the tomato and basil mix was tangy, sweet and bright. I just didn't think it went particularly well with the salmon.

The best deal and also the best thing on the Happy Hour menu in my opinion is the Classic Cheeseburger for $15.95. Even though it was on special, the burger was still a good size and it included crispy fries. We found the beef patty to be juicy and tender with a nice sear on the surface. The tomato and lettuce was fresh and the brioche bun was soft. Solid burger.

We had one of their pizzas in the form of the Capricciosa with Tomato sauce, mushroom, mozzarella, smoked ham, artichoke, sliced black olives, bocconcini, oregano and grana padano. This was fully loaded with not only all of the above ingredients, but the amount of cheese was generous. That meant each slice was meaty, saucy, cheesy and flavourful. The pizza crust was fairly crispy with a chewy interior.

Another item off the regular menu, we had the Spaghetti Carbonara. This was also quite good with lots of rendered bacon and nutty parm. Hence, this was bordering on salty, but didn't go over that line. Pasta was al dente and was fully coated. Overall, the food at Alchemy was pretty solid, especially for the price. Given its Downtown location, the Happy Hour menu is a good value and features some appealing items such as the burger and artichoke dip. Would come here again.

The Good:

- Well-priced

- Solid eats

- Decent portion sizes

The Bad:

- Location is at the far West end of Yaletown, so far from the action (could be good for some people though)

Selene Aegean Bistro

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Sat, 02 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Here we go with another restaurant on my "to eat at" list but it has taken me until now to actually pay them a visit. When Bluebeard and Nikita wanted to meet up for dinner, it was as good as any time to suggest Selene Aegean Bistro out on Pentiction at Hastings. Not be confused with Chez Celine out on Fraser, this place features a Mediterranean menu as its name suggests. We really loved the front facade of the place as it created the right atmosphere even before we set foot inside. After discussing what to have on the menu, we ended up with their Tasting Menu for $80.00 per person.

Things got off on the right foot with a trio of items including Babaganoush. We found the eggplant to be silky smooth and quite pleasant with a touch of earthiness. We would've liked to see a bit more smokiness though. It went really well with the fresh pita as it contrasted the crispiness of the pita (where it was fluffy inside).

With much more impact, the Tirosalata had plenty of kick from the fermented red chilis as well as a balancing amount of tanginess. It was also slightly creamy from the feta and of course nuttiness from the walnuts. Although not as prominent in size, the small cup of Stuffed Olives was impactful. Beyond the initial briny and tangy notes, the creaminess of the feta really came through.

Lastly, the Amberjack Crudo was a pleasant dish with meaty slices of fish in a strawberry ouzo broth. Nice sweetness with only a touch of licorice. As amberjack can typically be, it started off with a fairly firm texture, but it got much softer as I chewed it. The slices of jalapeno were thin and did not overwhelm the fish. Rather it gave the necessary bite for impact.

Second course featured Horiatiki and Mussels. As you may already know, I rarely fawn over a salad. However, the tomato-forward horiatiki was magnificent. The fresh tomatoes were plump and the marinated ones were sweet like candy. These were balanced off by the pickled onions and some olives as well as some creamy red wine feta. Consisting of plump out-of-the-shell mussels, these sat in a spicy loukaniko butter. So many layers of flavour here including briny, sweet, nutty and of course spiciness. Some freshly-shaved fennel added crunch and brightness. The toasted and oiled olive focaccia was the perfect thing to sop up all of the sauce.

Since Nikita cannot have any gluten, they were able to make the Kalamari with potato starch for the Kalamari to accommodate. Honestly, if no one told me this was gluten-free, I would've accepted it as the standard dish. I found it really good with tender squid with a nice bite while the coating was firmly crispy. That tzatziki was money with notable dill hits and purposeful tanginess.

Third course had the bigger dishes in the Arctic Char and Bavette Steak. This set of dishes were okay, but not as good as the the first two courses. We found the Arctic Char to have a uniformly crispy skin that was well-seasoned, but the fish itself was a bit overdone. It wasn't dry though, so still pretty good. Underneath, we found spinach sitting in an avgolemono which had a nice viscosity and brightness. As much as I enjoyed the ezme underneath (which was tangy, mildly spicy and earthy), the Bavette Steak was not as tender as we would've liked. It was prepared a perfect medium-rare though and properly rested. Loved the white anchovies and pickled pearl onions on top as it added some brininess to the dish.

The side of triple cooked Patatas were super crunchy and nutty with creamy potatoey insides. Loved the creamy feta mayo on the side. Smoky with slight bitterness, the Oyster Mushroom Souvlaki was sitting on a bed of walnut skordalia, which was thick (from the bread), nutty and tangy. I didn't mind it, but others at the table thought it tasted off.

Onto dessert, we were served the Mahalepi and Amygdalota Ice Cream Sandwich. We really enjoyed the ice cream sandwich as the tahini ice cream was nutty, sweet and nicely sweetened by the honey caramel. The almond cookie had a crumbly crunch and of course nuttiness. The fig-infused pannacotta to be smooth and silky with just the right consistency. The macerated strawberries add a sweet tanginess while the brown sugar kataifi (served on the side) added crunchiness. Overall, it was a pleasant meal at Selene. We felt the prices were reasonable for the amount and quality of food we were served.

The Good:

- Generally delicious food

- Well-priced

- The calamari

The Bad:

- Steak was not as tender as we would've liked

Food by Fanta

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

If you've ever been to Baan Lao out in Steveston, you will know that they take Thai cuisine to a whole new level while still honoring the traditional techniques and ingredients. I've been a few times and it has been fantastic, if not a major indulgence (it's expensive). However, what if I told you that Food by Fanta out in Langley has similar elements while being significantly more affordable. Jackie and I went out for a tasting and came away rather impressed.

This isn't my first time visiting Food by Fanta, but as you will soon see, I got to experience some carefully curated smaller bites. This included the Miang Kham which literally translates to "one bite wrap". This it was with pomelo, dried shrimp, ginger, pineapple, lime, peanuts and herbs in a betel leaf. Combined with the sweet and savoury miang sauce, this had all the flavours such as brininess, sweetness, tang, nuttiness and herbaceousness.

Next little bite was the Kratong Tuna Tartare sitting in delicate pastry cups. Delicate was the operative word here as the tuna was buttery and lightly sweet. The other bite was the Yum Som with a mix of pomelo, herbs, toasted coconut, crispy shallots and garlic with Nam Prik Pao dressing and crispy prawn sprinkles. This was aromatic and toasty with tangy sweetness.

Served on a handheld metal spoon/serving vessel, the Tom Kah Scallop Bites were one of my favourite dishes. It featured a fairly large scallop that was beautifully seared. It was slightly rare in the middle being buttery and soft. Plenty of natural scallop sweetness that was concentrated due to the caramelization from the sear. In addition to being properly seasoned, the scallop all benefitted from the creamy and aromatic tom kha which had balancing tanginess.

Another little bite that was neatly presented was the Shrimp Toast. I was amazed that the toast was not greasy at all despite its thickness. Depending on your preference, this could've been too dry also. Personally, I would've liked to see the toast be less thick and surprisingly, a bit oiler. However, it was still good since the shrimp mixture was bouncy and sweet while the layer of herbs provided plenty of flavour.

In addition to the shrimp toast, we had another trio of items from their high tea service including the Khanom Krok. This crispy crepe was nutty and had a great hit of creamy coconut with the smoothness of blended rice. I absolutely loved the Khao Kriap Pak Mor which was steamed rice-flour dumpling that had a beautiful soft texture with appealing elasticity. It was filled with a tender savoury minced chicken mixture. At the top, we found the Khanom Buang which was a crispy pancake filled with grated coconut, diced shrimp and lime leaves on top of lemon meringue. This pancake had a light crunch coupled with the sweet and briny filling. Lots of aromatics going on here.

One of their most beautiful dishes happens to be the Chor Muang Flower Dumplings. These glutinous rice flour dumplings were texturally on point with a delicate chewiness with elasticity. Inside, we found 3 fillings including chicken, pork and veggie. Believe it or not, my favourite was the veggies with its combination peanuts, sweet radish, onion and cilantro. It was not hurting for texture or flavour. Loved the sweet tanginess with aromatics.

Colourful and presented as individual components (prior to mixing), the Khao Yum Salad consisted of 22 fresh-cut ingredients. I'm not going to list them all here but the crispy rice made this dish. Not only did it add texture, but the aromatics and nuttiness blended well with the crunchy vegetables, sweet fruit and herbaceous components. This was dressed with tangy tamarind and that brought out even more sweetness and tang.

One dish I've had before was the Bechamel Taro Nachos. Featuring thin waffle-cut taro chips, these were topped with tamarind prawns, melted Swiss and mozzarella and of course, an avocado bechamel. Beyond the crispiness of the thin taro chips, the best part of this dish was the little bits of prawns. Due to the cook on them, they were rather meaty and held up to the rest of the components. They were sweet with a slight tang while the cheese held everything together.

Another nicely-plated dish was the Miso-Orange Roasted Carrots. This consisted of a variety of carrots that had been butter-poached. As such, they were super tender to the point they were almost breaking apart, but stayed intact. The natural sweetness was definitely there with background earthiness. Complimenting the nutty peanut sauce, we found a bright and tangy beet vinaigrette.

One of the more interesting dishes was the Seared Eggplant with Green Curry. This acted almost like a vegetarian pate with a silky baked eggplant topped by poached carrots. This was spread onto toasted and buttered ciabatta served on the side. Texturally, this only worked because the toasted bread was the contrast. Eggplant and carrots by themselves were very soft and hence spreadable.

Something a bit more usual was the Confit Chicken Leg Khao Soi. The combination of delicate egg noodles and crispy noodles helped soak up the rich and coconut curry soup. It was aromatic, slightly sweet, a bit earthy and plenty creamy. The large chicken leg was definitely meaty and tender, but at the same time, it was maybe too tender? I loved the crispy skin though.

One of the most impactful dishes we had was the Khao Khluk Kapi Bowl Thai Fried Rice. This was not only due to the fact it was the beneficiary of smoky wok hei (high BTUs), but the fermented shrimp paste afforded plenty of umaminess. With that being said, it wasn't so pungent that it was overwhelming. Just enough of it. As evidenced in the picture, the plate was also loaded with crunchy veggies as well as crispy shallots and fried garlic. Lots of textures and further aromatics.

Encased with an egg lattice, the Pad Thai featured 2 large prawns on top. They were meaty with a bounce texture. Inside the lattice, the chewy rice noodles were coated with just enough homemade tamarind sauce. It was quite balanced as the noodles weren't too tangy nor too sweet. It had plenty of savouriness with smokiness from the wok hei.

I was happy that we got to try the Coconut Crème Brûlée since I enjoyed it very much the last time I was here. Presented beautifully in a half-coconut, the dessert benefitted from the fresh coconut meat on the sides. Beyond that, the custard was creamy and had a light thickness. Sweetness was balanced and the brûlée was crunchy and caramelized.

Seemingly super simple, the Som Choon consisted of lychee, pineapple, strawberry, jackfruit, and orange in jasmine-scented syrup,

with orange zest, ginger and crisp shallots. The trick with this was to drizzle the syrup to your fancy and then serve it with ice. The result was something that was fruity, refreshing and pretty cold. I loved it!

Colourful with a variety of ingredients, the Pandan Chocolate & Strawberry Khunafeh was full of different textures. The crunch from the khunafeh was reminiscent of that in a Dubai Chocolate. Heck, the chocolate drizzle helped it even more so. The house-made pandan custard even looked like pistachio, but instead, it gave off a different form of nuttiness. It was like a Jedi mind trick as it looked like Dubai Chocolate, but it had a twist of slightly different flavours.

A stealthily delicious dessert was the Gluay Buad Chee. It featured a coconut cream mousse that was silky and rich. It had plenty of aromatics and sweetness. That in itself was quite satisfying already but we found a brûléed slice of banana on top. The contrasting textures between the soft banana and the smoky crunchiness of the torched sugar was appealing and gave the dessert some body.

Of course we ordered some bevvies to go with our meal too. We thought the Watermelon Mule was the most refreshing with fresh-squeezed fruit. Loved the natural flavours and the texture of the drink. Mango Supreme was floral and also fruity. The Mojito was refreshing from the passionfruit and also the mint. Being savoury, the Tom Yamgrita was a bit spicy with the usual fragrances of lemongrass and galangal. Overall, the meal was impressive as it featured traditional Thai flavours with some twists and a dose of modern presentation. Definitely something to consider as the prices are quite reasonable given the quality of the food.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Traditional Thai flavours but with a certain refinement

- Reasonable pricing

- Unique dining space

The Bad:

- Confit chicken was far too soft

Mauna

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

As often as I visit Mauna out in Surrey, I don't think I've posted about them in quite some time. Ironically, prior to this visit, I had eaten then 5 times in the last few months! Anyways, this post will mostly focus on their new meal sets as well as some new maki sushi rolls. Of course, I had to get some of the classics as well! For those who not familiar with Mauna, the chef used to work at Minami and his menu features quality renditions of Aburi Oshi and many other delicious dishes at prices that are truly affordable.

In this economy, it is not easy to find food that features quality ingredients for reasonable prices. However, their Set Menus for $28.95 include a bounty of dishes that reflect many of the best items on the regular menu. With a bounty of dishes, the Botan Set includes 6 pcs Sashimi, Chicken Karaage, Miso Tofu Salad, Fried Brussels Sprouts, 3 pcs Aburi Nigiri, 2 pcs Oshi Bites, Mini Poke and Miso Soup. Yes, the amount of food shown in the picture is an accurate representation. This is more than enough for one person and worth every penny of the $28.95. All of their set menus include the same sides, but only rotate 2 of the mains. In this one, the Chicken Karaage and 6 pcs of Sashimi are the unique dishes. I've always love the karaage here as it has a flavourful marinade with a nice hit of ginger. Chicken is tender and juicy too. Sashimi is fresh and presented in generously-sized slices.

For the Momiji Set, everything is the same except we find a Mini-Chirashi Don and Ika Maruyaki replacing the aforementioned karaage and sashimi. If you were feeling a little bit more hungry and also wanted more rice, this is the set for you as the chirashi don is essentially the sashimi, but with rice added. As for the squid, it is grilled beautifully and is completely tender with a nice rebound texture.

The Sakura Set features Kaisen Soba and 3 pieces of Ebi Fritter in place of the other main items. As much as I enjoy the seafood with the chewy soba noodles and the crispiness of the ebi fritters, I feel this is the least amount of food in comparison to the 3 set menus. But I understand the combination as it features much less raw items than the other sets. Good for those who want cooked food in their combos.

Before I get to the classics, I will discuss the "newer" specialty rolls including the Medford Roll. It doesn't have anything to do with the town in Oregon, so no reference to the mountains even though there is a mountain of deep fried baby scallops on top of a what is essentially an oversized dynamite roll. Yes, you will normally find this type of roll at a Korean-run Japanese restaurant. For the record, I don't mind these types of rolls, it just depends on my mood.

Another large specialty roll is the Hinderer Roll consisting of a deep fried "dynamite-like" roll with a mound of spicy sashimi in the middle. Since the roll is fried, the centre is slightly warm and has a softer texture. Outside, the tempura batter is crispy and not greasy. As for the spicy tuna sashimi, it is slightly sweet with a bite. Crunchy cucumbers add some texture to this. For $19.95, this is a considerable amount of food.

So this is the "New" Galaxy Roll and I guess the new part is the crumbled wasabi peas on top. It adds a crunch that has a mild bite to go with the spicy prawn, hotate and red tuna in the middle while hamachi wrapped around the top. The roll is almost juicy and eats a bit wet, but the peas do add a textural contrast. To top it off, we there is some spicy powder for more heat.

Striking in its appearance from the fried lotus root chip on top, the Wataru Roll features real crab, hotate and asparagus in the centre with tuna tartare, slightly seared red tuna and nikiri on the top. The fluffiness and moisture of the real crab meat is unmistakable while the tuna does the heavy lifting with texture and the spice from the tartare. It is a bit awkward to get the full lotus root chip in every bite, but when you do, it is crispy and airy.

Onto some classics, we cannot forget about the big daddy of the bunch in the Explosion Roll. With a good amount of imitation crab, spicy tuna and cucumber, the whole thing is wrapped with tobiko and topped with torched aburi sauce. Fantastic pops from the tobiko and smoky sweetness from the aburi sauce. Secondary layers of buttery soft and spicy tuna give this roll extra impact.

We cannot forget about their other "must order" item in the Mauna's Aburi Tart. Sporting with sushi rice, ripe avocado, spicy tuna, sockeye salmon and seared aburi sauce, this has all of the best things in one package. Buttery and flavourful with hits of spice and sesame oil, the spicy tuna anchors the dish but gives way to the creamy smokiness of the aburi sauce. It has a little bit of tang that helps keeps things from being heavy. Love this dish.

A visit to Mauna isn't complete without ordering their Aburi Oshi. Two of my favourites are the Wild Salmon Oshi and the Ebi Oshi. Comparing it to the pioneer of these dishes (Miku/Minami), these ones here at Mauna have more content (as in fish and components) to go with the sushi rice. Aburi sauce is creamy and tangy without being greasy. The lime zest on the ebi oshi really adds brightness.

We also go for the Saba Oshi and Hotate Oshi. If you are a fan of the briny fishiness of mackerel, then the Saba Oshi is for you. It has just a touch of miso aburi sauce on it. On the other hand, the scallop oshi has quite a bit of sauce that is slightly spicy. Since scallop is buttery and sweet yet subtle, the sauce adds some impact. However, it doesn't overwhelm the delicate scallop though. The texture of the sushi rice is more on the moist side with an appealing chewiness. In the end, a visit to Mauna is always a treat since the food is great and affordable. Definitely a surprise given its location. Now with the meal sets, there is a wider selection of dishes to share if you have a smaller party.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- New meal sets offer a great variety of their best items

- Large portions at a reasonable price

- The classic aburi oshi is excellent and much less expensive than other places

The Bad:

- Being a small neighbourhood restaurant, the place gets slammed at times, so you'll have to be patient

White Rock Burger Co.

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

For all the places that boast smashburgers, not many actually do it right. Sure, they are indeed smashing a ball of ground beef with a cast iron burger press on a flattop. However, only a few places create a maillard where we have that nuttiness and aromatics. Furthermore, a smashburger isn't a smashburger if there aren't crispy edges. That is why Between 2 Buns has been my goto place for a proper smashburger. Yet, there maybe a serious contender with White Rock Burger Co. We dropped by to check them out and their take-out window at the back of the Wooden Spoon. They operate from 4:00pm on from Wednesday to Saturdays.

To get a baseline of sorts, we ordered the Big Rock sporting 2 smashed patties, double American cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, lettuce and co. sauce on a potato bun. Remember when I mentioned that smash patties should have crispy edges? This had it in spades where the fully seared meat was also nutty and aromatic. Nicely seasoned as well where the cheese was a bit crispy as well. Having the sturdy potato bun helped keep things together without being too dense.

Fully-loaded and sporting 2 slices of crispy pepper jack cheese, we had the Fuego with double patties, pickled jalapeños, pickles, caramelized onions, shredded lettuce and chipotle mayo on a potato bun. This was monstrous with the crispy and nutty cheese as well as the equally crispy beef patties. Lots of tanginess and bite from the crispy fried jalapeños. Extra spice was provided by the earthy chipotle mayo and extra crunch from the pickles.

Another large burger was The OG on brioche and stuffed with double patties, aged cheddar, thick cut bacon, crispy onion rings, shredded lettuce, dill pickles and co. sauce. Since they used a brioche bun here, the bread was lighter and just slightly less sturdy. However, that allowed the crunchy breaded onion rings and crispy bacon to be the main textures. They piled onto that with crispy cheese and of course, the seared edges of the smashed patties.

Going in a different direction, but also maintaining a crunch of some sort, we had the Spicy Southern Fried Chicken. I found the chicken itself to be fairly moist with a uniformly crunchy coating. It was definitely spicy and a touch sweet. Those bread & butter pickles provided crunch and another layer of sweetness to cut the spice. However, fried jalapeños provided more tang and spiciness as well. This was also served on brioche and that is the proper bun for this in my opinion.

Last burger was the Cajun Chicken which featured a grilled chicken breast. It was well-charred being smoky and a bit spicy from the Cajun rub. I wouldn't have called it juicy, but the chicken breast was far from dry. It was nicely complimented by the crispy thick-cut bacon and that tangy tomato jam. Completing the burger was some melted cheddar, lettuce and co. sauce. Once again, this was on a brioche bun which was soft and light.

Naturally, we had to get some sides too! Fries were crispy with some potatoness left. Really enjoyed the Mac & Cheese as they used Cavatappi which held onto the cheesy sauce well. Poutine was solid with a mild gravy and legit cheese curds. Loved that their Onion Rings were breaded (my preference). They were very crunchy where the onions didn't fall out. Lastly, my favourite was the Dirty Fries as they were completely coated being spicy with the cooling of the mayo sauce.

We tried some of their Dips including the Garlic Aioli, Co. Sauce, Spicy Honey Mustard, Cool Ranch BBQ and Chipotle Mayo. For me, the classic aioli was the best as it was creamy and had big roasted garlic flavours. Chipotle mayo was great too with earthy, smoky and spicy vibes. Honey mustard was great with the onion rings with its spicy sweetness. I found the Cool Ranch BBQ to be tangy with some herbaceous notes.

For drinks, we had one each of the Sparkling Lemonade and the Strawberry Sparkling Lemonade. Truly refreshing to wash down the big burgers with measured sweetness and some fizziness. Overall, we were really impressed with the smash burgers at White Rock Burger Co. They do their patties right with crispy edges and compliment them further with crispy cheese. Great textures and accompaniments. Will be back in a heartbeat.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Smashburgers done right

- Textures on point

- Large burgers

The Bad:

- Only takeout, so better have a place to eat it if you aren't going home

Wadaya

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We weren't going to eat out the night before our flight, but alas, one last meal before leaving the Bay Area! We met up with one our cousins for some Mazemen at Wadaya. For those who are unfamiliar, Mazemen is soupless ramen with an array of toppings. But similar to other spots like this, Wadaya also has the traditional soup ramen as well. We got that as well as some other things they had.

Those other things included the Chicken Karaage. I wasn't sold on the sauce on the chicken as I prefer it to be plain (well, with some marinade though) and then dip it into the mayo. With that being said, the chicken was juicy with a crispy exterior. It was rather mild-tasting, so I guess the sweet sauce was somewhat necessary.

Going with a few more appies, we also had the Ikageso or deep-fried squid tentacles as well as the Takoyaki. Those squid tentacles were juicy and plump with a tender bounciness. Medium thickness on the batter, which was thin in some spots but a bit heavy in others. Nicely seasoned though. The takoyaki were fluffy and light with some pieces of chewy octopus on the inside.

Onto the Mazeman, where Viv went with the baseline in the Tokyo consisting of spicy minced pork, poached egg, scallions, chives, minced garlic, fish umami and seaweed flakes. This was very similar to Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba (which is a chain out of Japan). When mixed together, the chewy noodles took all of the flavours and textures of the ingredients. Hence, there was spice, umami, brininess and brightness. The egg yolk helped bind everything together with silkiness. We also had the Curry which was similar to the Tokyo except it replaced the chives with kale and added curry powder. Naturally, this had an earthier and slightly spicier flavor profile while the firm kale added another layer of texture.

The most interesting bowl was the Cheese Mazesoba with melted Monterey Jack. All of the other ingredients were basically the same as the Tokyo. Hence, the umaminess and also the brightness was all present. With the addition of cheese, there was a heaviness to the noodles as well as the usual butteriness. Some tang was there and it helped mute the spice from the pork.

For myself, I went totally opposite of everyone else with the California Tonkotsu. In comparison to the many bowls of tonkotsu ramen I've had around the world, this was pretty competent. I found the chicken and pork broth to be silky from the collagen and fat while not overly salty. The noodles were firm while the chashu was a little too fatty, but was tender. Egg was custardy in the middle and nicely seasoned.

Finally, we ended off with some desserts including the Yuzu Cheesecake and both of the Vanilla and Boba Mochi Ice Cream. Although looking a bit stiff, the cheesecake was decently creamy and smooth. It had a nice floral tang to it. The mochi ice cream was pretty typical with the outside being chewy mochi with ice cream in the middle. In the end, we were satisfied with our meal at Wadaya. It isn't going to set the culinary world on fire, but the food is solid and well-priced. Great for a casual meal with family and/or friends.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Well-priced

- Service was efficient

The Bad:

- Appies were fine but not the highlight

Mayflower

noreply@blogger.com (Sherman Chan) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear "Mayflower" in the Bay Area is "meh". But hang on there. This is not the Mayflower we have come to know in the past. It is not affiliated with the one remaining location of the original Mayflower in Milpitas. In fact, this one in Dublin boasts authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine which fuses traditional Cantonese cuisine with Western cooking techniques. My uncle insisted that this one is far and away better than the original Mayflower.

The place has plenty of parking and also a decently-sized and well-appointed dining room. We began with their Roasted Duck and it was pretty legit. With a beautiful lacquered appearance, the skin was also properly rendered where it was crispy. Nice roasted flavor and a bit of sweetness (from the maltose). The meat was tender and juicy while properly seasoned (essence of star anise).

Of course we got a few orders of the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings) as they make or break a Dim Sum service. I'm glad to report these were quite good. The medium-thick dumpling wrapper had some elasticity and stayed intact even after I picked them up. The shrimp filling had that classic bounce texture with measured sweetness and aromatics from the sesame oil.

I know I'm being picky when I say that the tobiko on top of the Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings) were cooked. For me, they are much more aesthetically-pleasing when it is added after the dumplings are steamed. Despite its appearance, these were fine. The pork was processed enough to not be chewy and of course have a good rebound texture. Dumplings were juicy and had a nice burst of sweet savoriness. I enjoyed that that there was no big chunks of fat or gristle to be found.

Although serviceable, I wasn't overly impressed with the Foong Jau (Steamed Chicken Feet) though. As you can see, the skin was falling off the bone and was far too soft. Normal preparation for this dish involves deep-frying the feet and then braising them. Yep, they braised these too long so that the cartilage and fat were melting. Despite tasting great with an impactful black bean flavor tempered by sweetness, this was a goopy mess.

On the other hand, the Seen Jook Gewn (Steamed Bean Curd Skin Rolls) was on point. With a good mix of tender pork, bamboo shoots and wood ear, the textures were varied and had a great mouth-feel. Seasoning was perfect too as it was flavorful without being salty (I dip in in Worcestershire sauce though). The deep fried bean curd skin had that desired bite and chewiness while still being tender. Best of all, there wasn't a bunch of moisture or goopy sauce, which helped keep the integrity of the bean curd skin.

Arriving as a really large portion, the Cheun Fun (Rice Noodle Roll with enoki, pea shoots and beef) was really good. Sure, this was a more deluxe version of the basic ones, but it was totally worth the money. It was chock full of crunchy pea shoots, tender mushrooms and equally tender nuggets of beef. The rice noodle itself had elasticity and did not break despite being rather thin.

For our one deep-fried item, we had the Haam Sui Gock (Deep Fried Glutinous Dumpling with pork). This was excellent featuring a super thin layer of glutinous rice. It was fried until golden brown where it was uniformly super crunchy. Inside, there was a good amount of tender ground pork, shiitake, cilantro and green onion mixed in a starch-thickened sauce.

If you read this blog frequently, you'll know that one of my favorite Dim Sum dishes is the XO Loh Bak Goh (XO Daikon Radish Cake). Yah, of course we ordered it! Good choice as it was exactly how I like it. The cubes were a bit on the larger side and hence were a bit softer after the deep-fry. The outside was crispy and not overly greasy. Nice toss in XO sauce which added some spicy brininess.

You don't think I would forget about the offal right? This time around, we had the Ngau Pak Yiep (Steamed Bible Tripe). These were tender enough to chew while still retaining a bite. Intermingled within, the julienned carrots, green onion and ginger provided the classic flavors of this dish. We had sweetness, sharpness and brightness to go with the saltiness.

Now if you look at the cut-up Ngau Yook (Beef Meatballs), you will notice the pink color of the meat. That is due to the use of baking soda in the marination process. The meat is also seasoned and whipped until it is almost fluffy and plenty bouncy. This was definitely the case here, yet, I felt that it lacked any real meat texture. Nothing wrong with that if that is what you prefer, but for me, some bits of meatiness would've been better. Otherwise, a tender and well-seasoned beef meatball with just enough green onion for effect.

Possibly one of the best dishes we had was the Pai Gwut (Steamed Pork Spareribs with black bean sauce). Most of the pieces were rib portions that weren't fatty. Hence, we mostly got tender meat that had the requisite bounce texture. Furthermore, the seasoning was on point with a good balance of savory, sweet, garlicky and a touch of spice.

One of the most interesting dishes we had was the Scallops, Clams and Fish Maw with Papaya. Since the scallops were barely-cooked through, they were buttery and tender. The natural sweetness came through and in turn, flavored the broth. The addition of papaya provided an extra layer of sweetness and the typical papaya funkiness at the end.

Introducing some veggies into this meal, we had the Stir-Fried Gai Lan with fried fish cakes. As you can see, the wok hei (wok's breath) was pretty apparent with a certain amount of smokiness and caramelization. With no pools of moisture on the bottom of the plate, the seasoning stayed on the gai lan. This meant the flavors were apparent and impactful.

We ended the meal with a few things including the Mango Pudding dressed with evaporated milk. This was pretty typical with lightly sweet and mildly-flavored mango gelatin. I've never been a fan of the evaporated milk on top and I generally omit it. Overall, the food at this Mayflower is solid and generally well-executed. Service is friendly and attentive while the dining space is inviting. Just don't confuse it with the other Mayflower, which is nothing like this.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Good service

- Nice dining space

The Bad:

- If you don't have a reservation or know someone, it is quite the wait