Sherman's Food Adventures

The Juice Truck

2013-05-18T00:00:00.001-07:00

As we are in year 3 of the food cart project in the city of Vancouver, we are beginning to see more diversity in food being offered. Now there will always be those carts that many people will be wondering, "how did they get chosen?", but in the end, the truly good ones will have longevity. So we have many food trucks that serve up sandwiches, burgers and wraps, but there is one that only serves juice. Yes, The Juice Truck, which is parked in Gastown, only offers beverages. How the heck do they survive on hawking only liquid treats? Simple, charge $8.00 per drink. Uh... really? Well, they do use fresh ingredients, so you can't fault them for charging so much because fresh fruit ain't cheap.

So how does it taste? Um... Okay, I must be missing the point here or something. Judging by their really high ratings on Urbanspoon, one would think the drinks would blow me away. Nope. After meeting up for some food, Whipping Girl and I decided to pay the Juice Truck a visit. She decided to go for the Strawberry Coconut (strawberry blended with coconut meat, coconut milk, banana, raw cacao nibs, vanilla & agave) Sure, it was refreshing and we did get the sense there were strawberries and coconut in there, but the drink was flat. No impact whosoever. And that was further exemplified by the Special (coconut Water blended with coconut meat, coconut milk, vanilla, lime & agave) which really tasted like coconut milk and that was about it. With that flat taste in my mouth, I was not convinced.

To be fair, we returned again to try a more flavourful drink being The Apron consisting of Pineapple pressed with orange, spinach, mint, lemon, coconut water, aloe vera & himalayan rock salt. It was indeed more tasty with some herbiness from the mint and a hint of salt. However, that was an $8.00 drink. I know the die-hard health conscious followers for the Juice Truck will disagree with me, but I'm personally not a fan.

The Good:
- Juices are made-to-order and do taste fresh
- Not too sweet

The Bad:
- Not enough flavour
- Expensive

PazzaRella Auto Pizzeria Napoletana

2013-05-17T00:00:00.002-07:00

Will all the recent openings of Neapolitan-style pizza joints in the past couple of years, there is no shortage of choices. However, what if I told you that once could find Neapolitan-style pizza from a food truck. Um... How would they generate enough heat to make that kind of pizza??? Simple, put a wood-burning oven in the truck itself! Seriously??? Well, if one wanted to hawk this kind of pizza, the necessary tools and ingredients are essential. So Whipping Girl and I made our way out to Victory Square for some mobile pizza action. Luckily I picked her up too, she didn't seem to have the proper walking attire (reminded me of Mijune...).

Naturally, we shared a Margherita to start as a baseline of sorts. As shown clearly in the picture, the crust was nicely charred and blistered around the edges. The bottom could've stood to be charred more though. However, the crust was far from being soggy. In fact, it had an appealing chewiness to it and was well-seasoned. For something from a food truck, this was a surprisingly good thin-crust pizza. We found the tomato sauce to be mild, yet balanced with just the right amount of cheese. However, we would've liked to see the basil added after the cooking process as it was pretty shriveled up.

Our second pizza was the Prosciutto with arugula. As expected, it was heartier and saltier due to the addition of the prosciutto. Other than that, it was pretty much similar to the Margherita. In the end, we were pretty satisfied with our visit to PazzaRella and although it wasn't the best Neapolitan pizza we've ever had, it was the best from a food truck and then some.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Wood burning oven in a food truck!
- Above average

The Bad:
- Could use more leoparding on the bottom

Yo Sushi

2013-05-16T00:00:00.006-07:00

Driving Eastbound on Hastings, I was scouting the restaurants like I usually do. There were a few I still hadn't tried yet and I made a mental note. Again, I was shaking my head whilst catching a glimpse of the lineup at Anton's when wait... Where did Bombay Beat go? It had only changed its name from Bombay Behl not too long ago and the whole place was gone. Shoot, I didn't have a chance to use my Living Social coupon either! Curse those coupons! At least I got a refund for it... In its place, there is a new Japanese restaurant named Yo Sushi.

Having just ate at Gaya Sushi the night before, I still had the Chirashi Don in my mind. So I decided to get the Deluxe Chirashi Don as a comparison. This was a pretty large bowl consisting of mostly appealing seafood (tamago, hamachi, hokkigai, tobiko, hotate, tuna, tako, tai, sockeye and Atlantic salmon), except for the hamachi as it was somewhat fishy. The sushi rice was not bad being chewy and I could taste both vinegar and sweetness. And with that in mind, the Assorted Nigiri was predictably decent as well. The presentation was clean and tidy while each piece was quite uniform with just the right fish-to-rice ratio. Again, we weren't huge fans of the hamachi.

Onto some specialty rolls, we started with the Black Dragon consisting of ebi tempura, cucumber and avocado topped with unagi and unagi sauce. We found the individual components of the roll to be good including the crispy ebi tempura, crunchy cucumbers and plentiful unagi. However, there was far too much sauce (and rice too) which essentially drowned out the flavours. Next up, we had the Red Dragon consisting of ebi tempura, imitation crab and cucumber topped with spicy tuna, tempura bits and spicy sauce. Again, there was far too much sauce which added plenty of sweet and spicy notes, but the whole thing was wet.

Moving onto the cooked food, we got the Beef Yakiudon for the kiddies. Arriving wetter than a typical December day in Vancouver, the whole dish was literally drowning in sauce. It was predominantly vinegary with some sweetness which meant the noodles tasted as such as well. Suffice to say, this was a pretty disappointing dish. We also got the Oyako Don and it was not exactly what we were expecting. With a stingy amount of egg and even stingier amount of sauce, the whole thing was not that flavourful and lacking in moisture. The dry chicken didn't help matters either. Too bad really because the rice was actually quite good.

As for the kiddie's favourite, the Ebi Tempura was decent. Although the batter was quite thick, it was crispy and not overly greasy. Moreover, the ebi was of a good size and had a firm texture. Overall, the meal was passable with the raw stuff being the highlight. The specialty rolls were unbalanced, where they could've done with much less sauce and rice. Most notable, the cooked food was a complete disappointment. I would categorize Yo Sushi as barely average if we take everything into account.

The Good:
- Decent value
- Decent service
- Spacious

The Bad:
- Cooked food needs work
- Specialty rolls not balanced
- The bubble hockey and Foosball at the entrance are neat, but create a lot of noise

Gaya Sushi

2013-05-15T00:00:00.001-07:00

"We haven't eaten at a restaurant for a long time...", exclaimed my son one random evening. That was bizarre. The very same son who could eat Kraft Dinner for 7 days straight complaining about not eating out?!?!? "Go ask Mom", I replied. LOL, defer responsibility... Since it was a weeknight, we decided to go somewhere near, which happened to be the recently opened Gaya Sushi. At first glance, the place looked like any other neighbourhood Japanese joint, but once inside, the place was bustling with activity. So much so, we were not acknowledge for a good 7 minutes. We finally were seated 10 minutes after walking in and not before the person beside us indicating we were before them (the staff didn't even notice this). The fact that someone actually admitted to being behind in a lineup was refreshing (it proves we weren't in Richmond!).

After sitting down, a familiar face strolled into the joint - Dark Helmet! A foodie in his own right, he said the place was pretty good and to be sure to try the Chirashi Don. And that we did. For $10.95, we thought it was a fabulous value since there was a good array of fresh sashimi on top of chewy flavourful sushi rice (with a drizzle of chili oil). We ended up with some maki sushi as well consisting of the Red Dragon and House Roll. The house roll was packed with ingredients with a minimal layer of sushi rice. It was a little loose, falling apart when we picked it up. Nevertheless, it was good for $4.95. The dragon roll was essentially a dynamite roll topped with spicy tuna. The roll was fine, but lacked any real spiciness. We found the sushi rice to have a good chewy texture with only a mild amount of flavour.

For the kiddies, we got them an order of Assorted Tempura, which they proceeded to demolish. So much so, we had to order a prawn tempura to supplement. Reason why was because the batter was light and crispy while the dish was served piping hot. Since they couldn't survive on tempura alone (they might differ in opinion), we got them the Yaki Udon as well. It was on the sweeter side due to the amount of onion used in the dish (since we asked for no bean sprouts). However, it wasn't too wet and the 2 pieces of shrimp and mussels were cooked nicely. Lastly, we had and order of Gyoza and they were so-so. They were not as crisp as the visuals would suggest and the filling was a bit mushy. Despite this, the food in general was surprisingly decent at a reasonable price. Not bad for the area.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Service is lacking
- Parking lot fills up quick

Grain Tasting Bar

2013-05-14T00:00:00.002-07:00

First Mosaic, then the Chef's Table and now Grain Tasting Bar? What's this love-in with the Hyatt Regency anyways? Well, my visit to Mosaic was on my own coin and time, so it was by complete coincidence that I was invited to the Chef's Table shortly after. Now my visit to Grain was somewhat expected as I was invited to their media event. However, I was not able to make it, which in turn resulted in a lunch tasting instead. So to make sure all that food wouldn't go to waste, I enlisted the help of Gadget Girl. Upon my arrival at Grain, I was pleasantly surprised at the transformation of the former stuffy and dark bar that once occupied the space. With the addition of retractable windows, the place is bright, welcoming and open. But without a proper kitchen, what could they possibly serve with their cocktails?

And yes, I started with a cocktail being the Vanilla Sky. Don't worry, Tom Cruise wasn't around to profess his love for Katie Holmes (well, not anymore at least). Rather, I was presented with a drink consisting of Canadian Club whiskey, fresh lemon juice, egg whites and vanilla extract. For me, it was refreshing and due to the frothy egg whites, it reminded me of an Orange Julius drink (albeit alcoholic). To go with the booze, we were presented with a Palatte of Caviar consisting of 3 types served with toast points, egg yolk, chives, red onion and creme fraiche. This was a pretty straightforward offering which was naturally good, but the toast points could've been crispier. Next up were some Village Bay Oysters on the half shell with a cucumber mignonette. The oysters were fresh, sweet and brightened up by the crisp cucumbers. Simple but good.

Moving along, we had the Spring Creek Ranch Beef Tartar with capers, mustard, chives and a 64 degree egg on top. This was good due to the preparation of the meat. It exhibited a nice sheen and colour while being super tender. The egg yolk offered up a silky creaminess which made the tartar go down easy. Normally, this would be served with grilled Turkish bread, but that would too much filler for this tasting. Served on the same wood plank, we had the Argentinian Red Shrimp Cocktail. The red shrimp, in my mind, most resemble spot prawns. Their delicate texture (with little-to-no snap, if not overcooked) and natural sweetness were probably enough that we didn't need the cocktail sauce. However, we did try the cocktail sauce and it was pretty balanced.

Onto my next cocktail, I was served the Ruby Tuesday consisting of Absolut raspberry vodka, Okanagan Springs taboo absinthe, cranberry juice and fresh strawberries. Suffice to say, this was another refreshing drink with a mild bite. This was light enough to balance out our next offerings which included Smoked Spanish Sausage and Meatballs served with toasted bread. The sausage was good being meaty, spicy and a nice snap from the casing. Similarly, the meatballs were moist and meaty as well while bathed in a zesty tomato sauce. I dipped the crunchy bread into the sauce and I found myself finishing it off. Again, a simple plate of food, but a great accompaniment to my beverage.

Lastly, we were served a plate of Charcuterie with bread and condiments. There was kazu copa, prosciutto and truffle salami (from Oyama Sausage Company) along with Montaña and Brie cheeses. These were accompanied by house-made mustard, chutney and candied almonds. Again, this was a pretty straightforward offering which would be excellent with some drinks (especially wine). As you can see, the food at Grain Tasting Bar ain't exactly reinventing the wheel by any stretch of the imagination. However, the simple and clean presentation combined with a nicely renovated space makes it a good place to grab some bites to go with your drinks.

The Good:
- Modern, spacious environment
- Simple menu that doesn't try to overextend the point of the restaurant

The Bad:
- With no real kitchen, the offerings are limited to what they can produce

Marutama Ramen

2013-05-13T00:00:00.001-07:00

A year ago, there seemed to be a ramen joint opening every month. However, fast forward to the present and it seems this "fad" has been reduced to a trickle. In fact, due to unfortunate circumstances, we have seen the closing of almost all the Benkei locations. So it was a little surprising to see another Ramen shop give it a go along the Robson corridor. Located just off Robson on Bidwell, this is the first North American location of the Marutama Ramen chain (which operates in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia). Snake (a ramen connoisseur) and I decided to hit up the spot to see what it was all about.

As a baseline, I got the Tamago Ramen. In not a particularly big bowl, the amount of food was not substantial. However, the quality did make up for the lack of quantity. The freshly made in-house noodles were firm and toothsome while the chicken broth had plenty of depth and silkiness. I would say the broth would be considered salty to some, but for me, it just barely straddled that line. The abundance of Aosa seaweed provided some brightness and the addition of fried garlic (at the table) provided some aromatics. We really liked the fatty and moist chashu and gotta say this was the best soft boiled egg I've had from a ramen shop, even the egg white melted in my mouth. Snake went for Zenbu Ramen (The Works) which included roast pork in addition to the chashu and egg. I'm not sure if it was worth $18.00 but he enjoyed it nonetheless. His chose a spicier broth and it did have a kick indeed - just enough for flavour but not overwhelming.

We both had a side of Chashu Gohan and it was fantastic. The fatty and moist roast pork was tossed with onions where there was a plethora of caramelization. The flavours were intense and the textures were super moist. The rice was nicely chewy and the whole thing was just plain delicious. In fact, we both agreed that everything we ate was well-prepared and tasty. On the other hand, we were definitely paying for quality as the the portions sizes were modest at best.

The Good:
- Freshly made noodles
- Carefully prepared eats
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Pricey for what you get
- Not a whole lot of seats, but then again, most ramen joints are like this

Dex Gourmet Burger Bar and O Mini Donuts

2013-05-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

My kids love Lonsdale Quay. For the ball pit? Yes, partly. The various sights and sounds? That too. How about the spectacular view of Downtown Vancouver? I suppose. Actually, they love the place because they can get Beaver's Tails. Well, not anymore apparently. That's what we discovered when we walked up to it. Replaced by O Mini Donuts, my son was not a happy camper. However, it didn't take him long to get over it as we promised donuts after lunch. And as for that lunch, we decided to try out another one of the food stalls - Dex Gourmet Burger Bar.

For myself, I decided on the Bacon Cheeseburger with a side of fries. The fairly large beef patty was cooked all-the-way-through, hence it was mostly dry. The burger was quite greasy which actually helped alleviate some of the dryness. The bacon was decently crisp while the use of real cheddar was welcomed. The Cob's bun was fresh and held up well to the ingredients. As for the fries, they were fried golden crispy with lots of soft potato inside. My son had a similar order in the Kid's Cheeseburger. Despite being the kid's size burger, it was still fairly large. Since the burger patty was a bit smaller, it was even more dry (and somewhat chewy). He didn't end up finishing it because it was too much food. Okay burgers, but hardly gourmet.

Now onto what he had his eye on as we were eating lunch - Mini-Donuts! Much like the ones you'd find at the PNE (but not exactly), these were fried fresh and served either plain or with cinnamon sugar. We went for the latter. Naturally, these were warm and soft. They were just a touch more dense than Those Little Donuts, but we still liked them. Overall, it was an enjoyable visit to the market. Can't say that the food was stellar, but it did the job.

The Good:
- Eating in the market is touristy (which can be good or bad)
- Burgers made-to-order
- Donuts made-to-order

The Bad:
- Inevitably, food is not the main draw here, it's okay, but the setting is more important

Donair Affair (Surrey)

2013-05-11T00:00:00.001-07:00

Often, Vietnamese or Chinese food are my default cuisine choices when I'm looking for a quick, cheap and filling meal. Think of it, a large plate or bowl of whatever for under $8.00 can be had. However, as you can probably ascertain, the overwhelming amount of Asian food in this town can sometimes eclipse other choices. Another place to fill your tummy for cheap would be the good ol' donair, shawarma, gyro or that-kinda-place. Think end credits of The Avengers. Now, I'm no Iron Man, but I do have an iron stomach of sorts, except when it comes to the dreaded onion (but you really don't want to hear about that). So off I went to Donair Affair in search of cheap eats.

I started with the Falafel Donair first and it was bursting at the seams (literally, as stuff was squirting out) with sauce and ingredients. I liked the freshness of the lettuce as well as the vibrant tomatoes combined with the 3 different sauces. The hot sauce was there, but wasn't really that spicy. As for the falafels, they were premade, hence there was no crunch or textural contrasts. Rather, it was crumbly and soft. That didn't really bother me that much since the whole thing was satisfying. The one thing that did annoy me somewhat was the salt content. I got a Chicken Donair for Mrs. Spray Bottle and it was brimming full of nicely charred chicken meat. It was still moist though with lots of natural sweet flavour. Again, combined with the rest of the ingredients, it was a good and fulfilling concoction.

Lastly, my Lamb Platter was absolutely massive with lots of processed lamb meat. It wasn't particularly lamb tasting and a bit dry, yet all the sauce on top made up for it. The accompanying hummus was texturally smooth with some grittiness. It did have a good lemon hit though. Boy was I stuffed after the falafel donair. Imagine how full I was after the platter... Donair Affair hit the spot in terms of price, portion and quality.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Decent eats, but some aspects could be better such as the falafels and dry lamb

The Roc

2013-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Restaurants open. Restaurants close. Some operate for an eternity while some last as long as a cup of coffee. There are name changes and changing of hands. Sometimes, a restaurant may relocate or close for awhile and reopen down the road. Now, how about a restaurant that has moved a total of 4 times, maintaining the same name and employees? That would be The Roc. A modest Chinese restaurant that began its existence on Kingsway at the terminus of King Edward. We would frequent it for Dim Sum as their prices were rock (pun?) bottom while the food was more than acceptable. Then they moved further East on Kingsway where Po Kong sits today. Then all of a sudden, we found them located at the corner of Cambie and Marine. They had to vacate shortly after because the building was slated for demolition to make way for a condo project. Now, they took over the location of the former Penny Pub on Main and 41st.

After a warm, but interesting visit to the Bloedel Conservatory, we made the short jaunt over to the current location of The Roc. Gone are the push carts and in with the ever-so-familiar order sheets. The first item to arrive was the Spring Rolls. This was a mostly veggie version with tiny bits of shrimp hiding within the predominantly celery and carrot filling. The overuse of celery made the roll taste a bit funny and too wet. Otherwise, the outside was crispy and not overly greasy. And as with most Dim Sum service, the dessert showed up next. The Egg Tarts were flaky and buttery (or lardy?) with a semi-sweet filling. For aesthetics, the tart shell could've used a bit more browning.

Up next was the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll, which was decent. We found the rice noodle beautifully contructed being thin, soft and retaining a slight elasticity. The whole shrimp filling was adequate and had a nice snap, but were devoid of any seasoning. With an attractive dusting of fish roe, the Sui Mai were big and meaty. There was little else other than lean pork in the filling which meant it was rather dense and stiff. Flavourwise, it was on the sweeter sider in need of more savoury elements (maybe more shitake?). Onto a kiddie favourite, we had the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaves). We found the rice to be a bit stiff, but the plethora of moist pork alleviated it somewhat.

As per my modus operandi (wooo... big words!), I went for the Honeycomb Tripe laced with a good amount of garlic and a touch of spice. I liked how it was flavourful without being overly salty. In addition, the tripe was soft (but not mushy) and not gamy tasting. Moving onto another must-have in my opinion was the Black Bean Spareribs. This was a fairly large portion with chewy (in a good way) ribs. We liked how there were very few cartilage pieces as well. The entire dish was garlicky with some spice, yet mild at the same time. There was very little black bean as the picture suggests.

For some reason or another, we ordered the BBQ Pork Buns (which we've done each of the last few times). We never seem to finish them and the kids are usually somewhat mildly interested. We found these to be stiff and dense. However, the filling was meaty (not fatty) and mixed in with a sweet glaze. Moving onto some Beef Meatballs, they were big and barely fit onto the plate. They had a nice meatiness to them with a slight bounce texture. There was a good balance of water chestnuts and green onion, yet the mix could've used a touch more fat.

The Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) took forever to arrive and it appeared that they had given our order to another table. Interestingly, the lady who made the mistake was scolded right in front of us. Kinda awkward... Anyways, the dumplings were a touch oversteamed which made the rice flour wrapper wet. However, the whole shrimp filling had a good snap and exhibited a mild natural flavour. All-in-all, a very acceptable meal considering the reasonable prices. Although they have moved for the 3rd time, The Roc continues to offer up good value eats in a now cleaner environment.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent eats
- New and clean dining space

The Bad:
- Restaurant is really small, fills up quick
- Service is okay, but not the draw here for sure

Mogu

2013-05-09T00:00:00.003-07:00

A little over a year ago, there were a few food carts. Now, there are more than I can count. As much as I would like to try every single one of them, the current setup doesn't exactly make it easy. Many are essentially roaming carts, some have limited hours and some close before I even get to them. Originally, I was trying to finally visit Pig on the Street when to my horror, they were not at their usual spot on Howe. With Whipping Girl tagging along, she insisted we go to Mangal Kiss instead. Hey, I just blogged about that not-too-long-ago. No can do! She continued to whine much like the time we had to change from Boneta to Bistro Pastis. I stayed strong and suggested we head over to Mogu instead.

I decided to try the Pork Miso Katsu with a side of Chicken Karaage. I liked the pork cutlet as it was meaty while not being dry. It was fried until crispy while the red miso sauce added a rich saltiness to the sandwich. The wasabi-laced coleslaw added a brightness and crunch which lightened up the heaviness of the cutlet. The weak link had to be the bun though. It was too dense and big which overwhelmed the ingredients. The side of Chicken Karaage was so freakin' fantastic, Whipping Girl vacated our meal and acquired another small order! Why was it so good? First, the chunks of dark meat were thick, brined and coated with a light, yet effective batter. This ensured that all the juices were locked in while the outside stayed crispy. I've rarely come across chicken karaage so moist and juicy in my eating adventures. To finish it all off, it was drizzled with a sweet chili sauce that was just spicy enough to give the chicken some life.

Whipping girl had the Kobacha Korokke which was made with squash and accented by katsu sauce, lettuce and avocado. Again, the bun got in the way of an otherwise tasty sandwich. The squash korokke was sweet and crispy which was flavoured enough by the salty and sweet sauce. She liked the fresh avocados, but there wasn't enough of a textural contrast with the korokke. As her side, we selected the special of the day being the Sake Salmon Chowder. There was no mistaking the bacon content in this starchy chowder as it was the dominant flavour. There was very little salmon which made it pretty much an afterthought. The food was pretty good at Mogu, especially the chicken karaage. It almost made me forget I was looking for Pig on the Street...

The Good:
- Awesome chicken karaage
- Really friendly people
- Carefully prepared eats

The Bad:
- The dense bun has to go

Double DD Pizza

2013-05-08T00:00:00.004-07:00

Double DD what??? Yah, I'm not going any further with my thoughts about what was my initial reaction upon hearing about Double DD Pizza. My co-worker raved about the Greek food there and about the great value as well. Okay, I filed that into my subconscious to be used the next time I was out near 4th and Alma - which is never... Fast forward 8 months and Choobee reiterates the same sentiment about the place. Geez. Okay, okay, I'll make the effort for some Double DD action... ahem... So after Monday night softball, I queried who wanted to head out there for eats. I think I heard crickets. Hence, Milhouse was the only person who was game because I drove him. Yes, he was my food hostage. We met up with Choobee to hopefully put a dent into the menu.

Arriving hot and crunchy, the Calamari was a generous portion of tender squid which still maintained a nice chew. The batter was well-seasoned and not greasy at all. The thick Tzatziki was a nice compliment, but I would've preferred just a touch more impact (such as more garlic and lemon). For $7.50, the Prawn and Mushroom Salad was large and prepared beautifully. Although the toppings were pan-fried first, they did not wilt the rest of the greens excessively. Rather, it provided both flavour and substance to the salad. The prawns had a nice snap while the mushrooms were just right. Furthermore, the salad was not overdressed with vinaigrette which didn't degrade its texture.

The Roast Lamb was a massive portion which was also done nicely. From the bone out, the meat was not overly fatty, yet enough fat to provide flavour and keep the meat moist. Again, it was well-seasoned and had a nice roasted essence. The accompanying rice was flavourful and only slightly wet. I really loved the roast potatoes as they were packed full of lemon flavour. They were on the drier side, but that didn't make or break them. Considering they used breast meat, the Chicken Souvlaki was still juicy and tender. It had a nice char and was properly marinated with the usual Greek spices.

We tried a small Pizza consisting of pepperoni, mushroom, green peppers and anchovies. For this type of pizza, it was solid. The crust was crunchy, yet giving way to a soft interior. There was just enough mild tomato sauce and plenty of cheese. Naturally, with anchovies, there was no lack of saltiness. In the end, we were stuffed because the portion sizes were generous. Furthermore, we were completely satisfied with the food because it was good and prepared with care. This is definitely a place worth driving out to visit.

The Good:
- Well-prepared food
- Good portions
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Unless you live in the area, it's slightly far, but worth it IMO

Neptune Seafood Restaurant (Surrey Central)

2013-05-07T00:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, if you live in the GVRD (and like Chinese food), it is pretty obvious Richmond is King. However, for a city that boasts such as large Asian population, it is as if there is a black hole of Chinese food in some of the burbs, most notably Surrey. Yes, there are lots of Chinese restaurants around, but unless you consider Combo #5 as Chinese food, there is not a lot to choose from. Not until now that is - enter Neptune Seafood Restaurant at Surrey Central. Being an almost carbon copy of the Richmond setup, they have their Wonton Noodle joint right next to it. Originally, we had made a reservation the night before, but somehow they never wrote it down. My dad was not exactly impressed and didn't hide his disappointment. Kudos to them for relenting and giving us a table almost immediately.

The first thing we noticed as we sat down was the incessant yelling and scolding of the staff by the manager. Sure, some of the servers were quite green, but not very professional to degrade them in front of us in our opinion. Also, they might want the check the spelling on chrysanthemum on the tea pot. Just sayin'. Anyways, the first dish we got was the Pork Spareribs. I found them slightly over-tenderized by baking soda. However, they did taste very good with lots of garlic. Next up was the BBQ Pork Buns which arrived in a really large steamer. We found the buns themselves light and fluffy. However, the pork filling was a bit stringy and dry. It could've been the luck of the draw though with the meat. In terms of flavour, it was mostly balanced between salty and sweet.

At $8.95, the Lobster Dumplings were definitely a splurge of some sorts, but we just needed to try it. It was actually a shrimp dumpling with a slice of lobster tail on top. We found the shrimp filling dense and lacking in snap while the lobster was decent. Interesting dish, but we'd probably not order it again. Moving onto a kiddie favourite, we had the Mini-Lo Mai Gai (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves). Each one was further wrapped with parchment paper which kept things nice and tidy. As for the rice, it was moist and glutinous. The pork filling was fantastic where it was tender and really flavourful with lots of shitake, dried scallop, Chinese sausage and salted egg yolk. Interestingly, there was no chicken.

The Brisket & Tendon Hot Pot with daikon was shockingly small for $8.95. Normally, most other places would be at least 1/2 larger in size. Despite the name of the dish, there was also a good amount of tripe, which ranged from soft to overly soft. The brisket was a bit chewy, but cooked long enough. However, some of the tendon could've used more time. Flavourwise, it was quite mild, except the tripe was a tad gamy. With an attractive amount of tobiko on top, the Sui Mai was completely saturated with baking soda. Not only was the meat too soft, I could taste the baking soda in every bite. Suffice to say, the dumpling was not that great. Too bad really since the shrimp was okay and the flavours I could make out beyond the baking soda were balanced.

Going for something a bit different, we had the Scallop and Pea Shoot Rice Noodle Roll. We liked the purposeful dish it was served in as the sweetened soy sauce was perfectly accessible. As for the roll itself, we found the rice noodle to be somewhat stiff. However, our order of plain rice noodles (not pictured) was soft and fluffy. The filling was pretty good with sweet scallops and tender pea shoots. Onto the most important dish of all, the Haw Gow, it was not bad. Within the slightly chewy dumpling skin, there was a mix of whole shrimp and mousse. It was sweet with discernible white pepper and sesame oil notes. The shrimp itself could've used a bit more cold-water rinsing to attain that classic snap.

Taking us by surprise, the Shrimp Spring Rolls were not wrapped in a wheat wrapper, rather, in rice noodles. This made the whole thing very light and crispy. However, it also made it quite oily since they were open-ended (which allowed the oil to seep through). Interestingly, the shrimp filling had much more snap than the dumplings. It may have been cooked less and/or be due to the cooking method. The Egg Tarts actually arrived earlier in the meal, as with most Dim Sum services. Yet, I left it to nearly the end to talk about it. Just seems more right! Anyways, the pastry was flaky and buttery while the filling was super light and barely sweet. Furthermore, we loved the aesthetically-pleasing browned edges too.

Lastly, we had the House Special Fried Noodles, which was pretty decent. The noodles were crispy while not greasy. There could have been more sauce though. The seafood was nicely done except the squid was a bit too chewy. Overall, this was an acceptable Dim Sum experience considering they are newly opened. The service still needs some refinement and the food expedition needs to be more efficient as some of the food was not hot enough. Given there is literally no comparable competition nearby, they will be consistently busy.

The Good:
- Nice and classy dining space
- Food has potential (if they iron out the kinks)
- Service was decent considering they just opened, but the manager should take a chill pill

The Bad:
- Manager is fare too abusive to his staff (in front of customers)
- Pricey
- They are new, kinks have not been worked out yet

Chef Table Dinner @ Hyatt Regency

2013-05-06T00:00:00.003-07:00

For the longest time, the hotel restaurant was not someone would consider a "destination" for good eats. Yup, it only existed to feed their clientele who were not brave enough to venture out in search of food. Yet, times are changing and we are beginning to see some fine establishments in hotels. Up until recently, the Hyatt Regency did not exactly set the Vancouver culinary landscape on fire. However, with a change in direction under the guidance of Chef Thomas Heinrich, it appears they are taking some risks. I was able to experience this first hand with an invite to the Chef's Table Dinner along with Alvin, Sean, Diana, Dee, Grace, Janice, Kev and Billy.

In addition to the fact that Chef Heinrich personally prepared the meal himself, it was served at a table located right in the kitchen itself. Taking advantage of the banquet kitchen, the only meal prepared there that night was for us, while we watched. The first course was Oysters with pickled onions in an Escabeche foam. The sweet oysters were accented by a tart and spicy notes which didn't overwhelm. A nice start. The next course was actually sitting on the table and we didn't even know it. Unbeknownst to us, the potted plants were actually Chef Heinrich's version of a Crudité consisting of avocado & buttermilk mousse topped by pumpernickel crumbs with wild celery and baby carrots. Yes, whimsical hotel food, thanks to Chef Heinrich. I really liked the crunch of the crumbs as it contrasted the smooth and creamy mousse underneath. However, this was far too much for me to finish. I had 8 more courses!

From potted food to a more conventional plating, we had the Argentinian Red Shrimp with Wagyu Beef, wasabi chips, wasabi foam and freshly grated wasabi atop a kalamansi gelee. With a texture similar to BC spot prawns, the red shrimp was delicate and sweet. The thin slice of beef practically melted in my mouth and was nice accented by the different applications of wasabi. Completing the flavour profile was the sweet and tart kalamansi gelee. As if we were watching Top Chef, the next dish was presented on a mirrored plate. It consisted of Peas prepared with 3 different techniques pea ravioli (via spherification), isomalt encapsulated pea oil and pea powder (and freshly shucked peas as well) served atop Chinese black garlic. I really liked the ravioli as there was a pop of natural pea sweetness in each bite. The salty and bitter black garlic puree was a nice counterbalance to the sweetness.

As much as there was nicely seared Halibut featured on our next plate, the main ingredient was actually Artichokes. Again, there were 4 preparations including a relish, confit, puree and a cream that was sandwiched in a coconut and squid ink whoopie pie of sorts (was described as a macaron though). I really liked the chewy "cookie" as it exhibited a nice toasted coconut essence. The halibut itself was seared well while the flesh was flaky, moist and well-seasoned. Up next was Bacon 3 Ways consisting of bacon-wrapped salmon with citrus caviar, bacon discs, bacon relish and bacon fat powder atop a fava bean puree. Although the bacon was crispy and smoky, the salmon was still moist while not being overwhelmed. The citrus caviar provided some nice acidity. With all this bacon, I found the smooth fava bean puree unnecessarily salty though. The bacon discs looked light, but were actually hard to chew.

Looking more like a Taiwanese potsticker, the Duck Confit Ravioli atop stinging nettle puree and crispy leaves was served with apple-brined duck and a Maple vanilla gastrique. The ravioli was al dente and filled with tender, meaty duck confit. The drizzle of egg on top added a silky texture. As exemplified in the picture, the duck was rare-to-medium-rare, which allowed the meat to be buttery soft with a only a slight chew. The skin was somewhat crispy with an acceptable amount of fat. As if we didn't have enough food already, we were presented with an Australian Lamb Tenderloin with fiddlehead ferns, pickled ramps and morels with black truffle. For me, the lamb was as perfectly-prepared as possible. It was medium-rare and moist with a nicely browned exterior. With both black truffle and morels, there was a predictable Earthiness which went well with the meat. The pickled ramps added a "kimchi-ness" to the dish.

Onto dessert, we were served Strawberries 4 Ways including honey green strawberries, strawberry chips, pistachio-strawberry glass and strawberry vanilla streusel with cardamom-sour ice cream. The green strawberries were my favourite as they had a nice crunch as well as a welcomed tartness. The ice cream was smooth and light tasting which was a prelude to the next heavier offering - Chocolate 3 Ways. There was dehydrated chocolate, a 30 second chocolate cake and a chocolate fondant bar atop streusel with blood orange reduction and white chocolate ice cream. I loved the textural contrast between the fondant and streusel while the flavours were not overbearingly sweet. I found the cake to be slightly dry though. Yet, that was one of the rare criticisms as this meal was impressive in its execution and creativity. This was not only an interesting and delicious meal for a hotel, it was great in general. I am thoroughly impressed with Chef Heinrich where he has firmly taken the reigns of the Hyatt Regency's culinary direction.

Lido Chinese Restaurant

2013-05-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

It was a cold and rainy day... I dunno, I'm not even sure if it was rainy, I just ran out of sentence starters! LOL... Blogging practically everyday since late 2008 can do that to someone! Anyways, what I do know is that I met up with Rock Guy for some Westernized Chinese food in Surrey one cold winter's day. The restaurant of choice was Lido, which I'm not completely sure if it was related to the now closed Lido Buffet a few blocks away. I definitely know it has not relation to the Lido in Richmond (where you will find some of the best Pineapple Buns in town).

Seeing how the lunch specials would be the best bet to get a sense of the menu, we got one each. Both started off with a bowl of Wonton Soup, which was actually not bad. Naturally, we weren't going to find the all-shrimp variety, but for being all-pork, it was more than passable. The meat was moist with a bit of chew while the soup was okay since it wasn't some chicken bouillon broth. For my main, I went for the Sweet & Sour Pork with Broccoli Beef. The pork was not as crispy as it appeared, yet at the very least, the meat was not dry. The radioactive sauce was mostly sweet with very little sour. As for the broccoli, it was still crisp and vibrant while the meager amount of sliced beef was tender.

Rock Guy decided on the Chicken Chow Mein with Almond Chicken. The chow mein was pretty typical where it wasn't soggy nor too salty. The chicken was fried crispy and only moderately greasy. As you can see, the food is indeed passable, but nothing to write home about. Okay for a quick inexpensive lunch or takeout, but not high on my list for a return visit either.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Passable food

The Bad:
- Passable Food
- Don't expect real Chinese food here

Alleluia

2013-05-04T00:00:00.001-07:00

There once was a time where I played hockey every Saturday night at Richmond Ice. The group was a good bunch of guys (and sometimes gals) who would eat out afterwards. There was one problem though... They loved to eat at only one place - Alleluia. Hey, I personally didn't mind it because the food was decent, well-priced and the staff were friendly. But for blogging purposes, it was not the best arrangement. Due to my busy schedule, I drifted away from this group and lost my full-time spot. Fast forward to the present and I am once again playing at Richmond Ice every Saturday with a different group, ironically at the rink beside the former group. Hence, nearly 4 years later, I joined them for late night eats at... you guessed it, Alleluia. I dragged Gordo with me since he has been my de facto eating companion on Saturday nights (or should it be Sunday mornings...).

As with my previous visits to Alleluia, I went for the 3 Item Meal which started with a choice of soup. I had the Cream of Ham & Corn which was a typical HK-style cafe starch-thickened concoction. It was a bit lukewarm, mild in flavour and a reasonable thickness. As for my 3 items, I had the Chicken Steak, Ox Tongue and Rib-Eye Steak. It came with mixed veggies and spaghetti (or rice), with a choice of sauce, which was black pepper in this case. I found the chicken steak to be pan-fried nicely where the dark meat was moist and juicy while the exterior was crispy. The ox tongue was soft while maintaining a bite. As for the rib-eye, it was pale, chewy and not very good. The black pepper sauce was good though, having a good consistency and a nice peppery hit. Gordo had the Rice Noodles with Brisket and as the visuals would suggest, there was a lot of meat (which was decently tender. The soup wasn't anything to write home about while the noodles were not mushy.

On a subsequent visit with Gordo and Emilicious, I decided to try the Spaghetti Bolognese. For those who are not familiar with HK-style food, this is their rendition of the dish. Yes, it contains meat and diced carrots, onions and tomatoes, but that is where the similarities with the Italian dish end. This one was passable with slightly soggy noodles and a sauce that was more tomatoey with hits of star anise. I found it a bit too meaty and saucy which essentially drowned the pasta. Seeing how I was famished (and when am I not), I added a Ham and Egg Sandwich as well. I found the bread not as soft as I would've liked and the skimpy amount of filling didn't help things. Since the sandwich and spaghetti were essentially the same price, I found the ham & egg to be not worth the money.

Emilicious decided on a dish which I am not a fan of being the Bitter Melon and Beef on Rice. She thought it was decent with a good amount of ingredients on top of the rice. The beef was mostly tender with some chewy parts while the bitter melon was still a bit crunchy. The flavours, other than the melon itself, were mild. Gordo spotted the Pan-Fried Udon with Soy as we walked in which made him want to order it. He was happy with the decision as the noodles were still chewy while there was enough seasoning. It was a tad greasy though. Overall, Alleluia did the job (both times) with predictability and at a low price. Sure, there are better HK-style cafes out there, but Alleluia surely satisfies the value criteria, especially for late night eats.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent food
- Decent service

The Bad:
- There is better, but will probably cost you more
- For those who have never been, it is hidden from the street

Crave

2013-05-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why Costanza and I go to the Vancouver International Car Show every year. It's not like we were in the market for a car. We had both just recently bought new cars. Is it that we were wanting to look a the new Smart Car? No, that wouldn't fit our lifestyles... I'm not sure if I could fit my goalie bag in there anyways. And besides, I couldn't put big rims on it either. Really, it is probably we had nothing better to do. In fact, my only reason for going was that we'd be eating afterwards! Funny how I didn't really have anywhere in mind though. I left it up to him and he suggested Crave. Hey why not, I haven't been back there for quite some time...

We started with their popular Short Rib Poutine with a side of truffle mayo. This was a fairly large portion with plenty of short rib on top. The fries were crispy, even though they were drenched in a good amount of moisture - perfect for dipping into the flavourful mayo. That was in addition to the already truffle-infused fries with a balanced amount of Parmesan. What really stood out was the moist, tender shreds of short rib. They were meaty and full of natural flavour rather than being overseasoned. When we ordered the Popcorn Shrimp, we weren't expecting much, but to our surprise, it was a huge portion of buttery cold water shrimp encased in a paper thin crispy coating. It was slightly greasy, but good nonetheless. The accompanying sweet chili mayo was quite mild and very creamy. It could've stood to be a bit more impactful.

For our mains, I went with my standby being the Slow Braised Lamb Shank served with whipped potatoes, roasted root vegetables and fresh veggies. I found the large lamb shank to be prepared beautifully with a nice roasted exterior giving way to super moist and tender meat. It exhibited a gelatinous richness that we associate with well-prepared lamb shank. Although the braising liquid was not devoid of flavour, I would've preferred a bit more body. Costanza ended up with more shortrib in the Shorty Rigatoni. Viv and I had this the last time we were here and it was just as good as I remembered it. With al dente pasta and a plethora of the same meaty shredded short rib, this was a hearty offering. Lots of natural meat flavour as well as a balanced tomato ragout. Once again, Crave didn't disappoint. For the prices they charge and the food quality, I really wish people would skip the chain restaurants.

The Good:
- Okay pricing
- Good portions
- Good food

The Bad:
- Super small with tight seating (although there is a patio when the weather is nice)

Dinesty on Robson

2013-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Could this be a new fad or trend? Legit Xiao Long Bao in Downtown Vancouver??? If we even just look back a year ago, there was no such thing. A decent XLB in Downtown Vancouver was as rare as a sunny day in December. But that all changed with the opening of Shanghai Xiao Long Bao on Richards Street. Now, the restaurant that boasts one of the best in town has opened up shop on lower Robson. Ironically, Dinesty is not really a true Shanghainese joint. Rather, it is a Taiwanese restaurant with Shanghainese and Szechuan dishes. Yes, that cuisine-confusion could spell trouble, but they seem to pull it off. Well, that is true for the Richmond location. Therefore, Whipping Girl, Rich Guy and I set out to see if the Robson location stacks up.

Immediately, Rich Guy was scouring the menu for Garlic Pork. We did find their version being the Streaky Pork with Garlic Sauce. No, there was no pig nudity, rather, I think they were referring to the use of pork belly. Unfortunately, we found the slices to be too thick which negated the usual pork belly texture. However, the sauce was fantastic being really garlicky, vinegary and sweet. Next up was the Marinated Beef with Soy Sauce Wrapped in Pancake. These were not bad with a somewhat flaky pancake (it was a bit gummy. The sliced beef shank was easy to chew while there was a complimentary amount of cucumber and green onion.

And then it arrived - the one defining item - Xiao Long Bao. These were respectable as the dumpling skin was thin and exhibited an appealing soft elasticity. The meat was sufficiently moist with a touch of grittiness. There was ample soup which was sweet, yet a little weak with the ginger. For some reason or another, I prefer the ones from the Richmond location more. Paying homage to this "Din Tai Fung"-type of experience, we had the Shrimp Sui Mai (very similar to the one at DTF). However, unlike DTF, these had no soup whatsoever - only ground pork and green onion. We liked the mild sweet flavour with the brightness of the greens, but the lack of moisture made it a touch dry to eat.

Moving along, we had the Noodle Soup with Beef and Tendon. The soup base was light and only mildly flavourful. The noodles were nicely prepared retaining some chew. As for the meat, it was gelatinous and tender. Saving the best for last, we had the Tea-Smoked Duck served with steamed buns. This dish was friggin' fantastic. The duck was moist and smoky while the skin was crispy and nicely rendered. One of the better versions I've had as of late. Although not the perfect meal (and what is?), we were satisfied with our visit to Dinesty on Robson. It is nice to see legitimate Chinese eats in the Downtown core.

The Good:
- Generally well-made food
- Decent service
- Surprisingly spacious dining space (wouldn't have guessed from the outside)

The Bad:
- Pretty busy, the servers are nice, but hard to get a hold of
- As with most restaurants, you need to pick the right dishes

Pho Japolo (North Vancouver)

2013-05-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, it can be quite the chore to find kid's activities that we haven't done over and over again. Therefore, we try to hit spots we haven't been before (with the kids). For whatever reason, we decided to visit the Capilano River Hatchery in March. Yes, that was really not the best time to visit the place as there are no salmon spawning and frankly, it was a bit nippy outside too. As you can imagine, the visit was short and lacking in entertainment value. I think the rainbow from the mist from the raging river was the highlight of the visit. So underwhelmed and a bit frozen from our outdoor adventure, we decided to hit up Pho Japolo at the foot of Capilano Road and Marine Drive.

Ah yes, this place has gone through several restaurants and not once has the decor remarkably changed. Oh well, we were here for the food only right? Interestingly, the Lemongrass Chicken on Rice arrived first with a bounty of meat atop some rice. As you can see in the picture, there was more chicken than rice. However, the chicken was dry and hard. At the very least, it was flavourful in a sweet kind of way and charred nicely. Trying to change it up a bit, I decided to try the Cambodian Dry Noodles. For a non-Phnom Penh Version, this was pretty good. The noodles were still chewy and doused with just the right amount of sauce (which was a good balance of salty and sweet). The ample amount of ingredients were well-prepared as well.

Onto something they would like to call a Banh Mi. I say this because this was the worst version I've had in quite some time. Yes, I realize they are not a Banh Mi joint, but still, they are a Vietnamese restaurant. The bread was super dense and rock hard while the meats were sliced too thick being difficult to chew. Furthermore, there was too much butter-mayo and not enough pate or fish sauce (or Maggi). Lastly and strangely, the Pho Dac Biet showed up at the very end of the meal. It was okay with tender meats and a sweet broth that was a bit heavy with the MSG. After it was all said and done, it wasn't like we were displeased with our meal, but we were certainly not that satisfied. Consider this an average experience at best.

The Good:
- Fairly decent portions
- Some good dishes

The Bad:
- Some bad dishes
- Decor could use an update

Mosaic

2013-04-30T00:00:00.009-07:00

Normally, you'd find me bringing out the whole family when dining at a hotel restaurant. Think of it - safe food in a generally kid-friendly environment (assuming it's not a boutique hotel or something). However, this time around, it was going to be the boys meeting up for lunch at Mosaic in the Hyatt Regency. Snake thought it would be a good idea to meet up for the first time since Vegas just to hang out. Good thing too, it would probably be less expensive... Actually, I've been to Mosaic before, prior to blogging, and it was a pretty typical hotel restaurant experience - no surprises. Since then, they have reno'd and the dining space has a nice modern feel to it and lots of natural light from the big windows.

We started off with some biscuits and they certainly looked better than they ate. They were far too dense for our liking. But whatever, that was the complimentary bread, not really a big deal. As usual, I couldn't resist ordering only one thing, so I started with the Seafood Chowder. I found it thick, yet floury thick rather than creamy. It was mild with only a hint of the sea. The fish was flaky and moist while the veggies were not mushy despite being diced into little bits. For my main, I went for the Seared Haida Gwaii Albacore Tuna Sandwich. As evidenced in the picture, the tuna barely kissed the grill. That was perfect in my opinion as the natural texture and taste of the fish was not compromised. Combined with the crunch from the arugula, lemon aioli and the soft ciabatta, this was well executed.

Costanza actually shared half of his Club House for the other half of my sandwich. Not a bad trade (even though mine cost more!) since it was a well-made sandwich. The toast was done right, bacon was crispy and the turkey was real meat while the rest of the ingredients were fresh. The accompanying fries were decent being crispy and lacking that generic feel to them. Chill had the Thai Fry consisting of long beans, peanuts, garlic, chilis and ground pork atop coconut basmati rice. This was actually not bad for a non-Asian restaurant. The beans were still crisp and the meat was moist while there was noticeable heat to the dish.

Continuing on with the Asian theme, Snake had the Curry Bowl with chicken. He found the chicken to a bit dry while the flavours were mild and the sauce thin. Despite this, it wasn't as if the dish wasn't decent. Pretty typical curry from a non-Indian joint. And naturally, the naan wasn't really traditional naan (but we weren't expecting it to be). Lastly, Vandelay tried the Fish & Chips featuring ling cod in a Granville Island pale ale batter served with spicy remoulade. He found the batter to be thick while the fish was slightly dry. He thought a traditional tartar sauce would've been better than the remoulade. Well, there you have it, a meal with some typical lunch items mixed in with some surprises. Not bad, and in the end, Mosaic offered up a decent alternative to the chain restaurants nearby.

The Good:
- Classy and comfortable dining space
- Attentive service
- Okay pricing considering location and class of restaurant

The Bad:
- As with any meal, pick the right dish and it'll be good, pick the wrong one and it is not as good

Burnaby Empty Bowls Fundraiser 2013

2013-04-29T00:00:00.002-07:00

Recently, I was invited to attend the Burnaby Empty Bowls Fundraiser at the Metrotown Hilton. It is an biennial gala which helps raise funds support local programs for children, youth, and families in Burnaby that provides nutritious food and helps build skills that encourage healthy lifestyles.
The Empty Bowls Project was originally launched in 1999 by Burnaby’s Food First Committee, a coalition of social service agencies and volunteers, to raise awareness of the existence of hunger and poverty in Burnaby. Participating vendors included The Pear Tree, EBO, The Hart House, Metrotown Hilton, Valley Bakery, Chez Christophe and the Burnaby School District's Ace-It Culinary Program.

After we picked up our unique hand-made ceramic bowls, Viv and I headed off to the Pear Tree first where Chef Scott Jaeger and Stephanie Jaeger were plating the Ham Hock Terraine with pickled vegetables and mustard aioli. In typical Scott Jaeger fashion, the dish was intricately plated and pretty to look at. The narrow slice of terraine was topped with mushrooms and pickles resting on a an impactful mustard aioli. The saltiness of the hock was balanced by the sweetness of the aioli and the other components. The accompanying Spring Pea Soup was surprisingly light and refreshing. Naturally sweet, it went down easy.

Next up was the Slow Cooked Lamb Chop with black truffle, mint and Dijon from EBO at the Delta Burnaby Hotel. This was our favourite offering of the event. Apparently we weren't alone with this sentiment as they had the longest lineup throughout the night. The lamb was super tender and practically fell of the bone. It was cooked medium-rare and had just enough natural flavour. The sauce was understated yet flavourful while the Dijon added a mild acidity. We also got a sample of their famous Roti Canai with red curry and it was freshly made being crispy on the outside while light and slightly chewy on the inside.

The students of the Burnaby School District's ACE-It Culinary Program offered up 2 dishes. The Duck Confit Ragout in choux pastry was fairly moist but the flavour profile was a bit too tart. We did like the big chunks of plump mushrooms though. The side of blueberries was a good accompaniment, but they were far too cold. As for the Macadamia Encrusted Cod Filet and Seared Scallop on a bed of orzo risotto, each item was slightly overdone while the orzo was too watery. The scallop was a bit rubbery as well. But props to them for a well-made dish considering the other heavyweights in the room.

Over at The Hart House table, Chef Alana Peckham offered up Nori-Wrapped Albacore Tuna with cucumber, daikon, sweet shoyu aioli and bonito flakes. We liked the individual components as they were fresh and crisp. But together, the tuna got lost. Admittedly, this was probably the lightest dish at the event, so it was a nice break from the rich offerings. In terms of the Chilled Melon Gazpacho with honey dew, cucumber, jalepeni, cilantro and lime, it was interesting, but not our favourite.

At the Metrotown Hilton table, the Harissa Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with red quinoa fathoush salad was prepared beautifully with a spicy bark on the outside while being medium-rare on the inside. It was soft and so easy to eat. We loved the crunchy quinoa salad underneath as it provided texture and brightness. The accompanying Low Fat Avocado and Blueberry Laban was smooth and delicious. For dessert, the Valley Bakery offered up a delightful Pavlova. The meringue was airy and light. As a dessert, it was not overly sweet.

Lastly, we go to sample treats from Chez Christophe. The Mini-Macarons were really nicely executed with a light exterior shell giving way to a soft chewiness. Flavours were apparent while not tasting artificial. The Chocolates were quite good too with a dark bitterness while melting into silkiness in our mouths. This little sample made me want to visit his store ASAP (which I did). This was a fine finish to a great event that supports worthy causes.

Pho Chung Nam

2013-04-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Whenever we return from any trip out of Vancouver, big or small, we crave Chinese food. Fresh off a particularly uninspiring Dim Sum experience at Noble Court in Bellevue, we were in need of some food therapy. Of course venturing into Richmond was on the table because it would be on our way home, but in the end, we decided to avoid the traffic and head into New West instead. New West??? For Chinese food? Are you mad? Well yes and apparently our destination, Pho Chung Nam, decided to take Chinese food off the menu completely. Apparently, that didn't only catch us off guard, all the other patrons seemed confused as well. I think they better change their signage ASAP.

Fine, I guess we were eating Vietnamese food, even though we had it recently. We really didn't want to go somewhere else. So we started with the Spring Rolls, even though we really didn't order it. Apparently there are 2 items on the menu with the same number. Whatever, more food to eat right? Well, these were the wheat wrapper variety, which were crispy and served hot. There was a noticeable sweet onion hit, but there was a too high of a veggie-to-meat ratio. Next up was the Banh Mi Dac Biet. The bread was crunchy but rather dense. There was pate, but it was barely distinguishable. Furthermore, there was an absence of a salty kick from fish sauce and/or Maggi.

Onto something that we were bound to order - the Pho Dac Biet. The broth was clean but with an overly sweet slant. Despite the obvious overuse of MSG, it exhibited very little depth. The meats were okay, but the portion was rather small. For the kiddies, we got them a Pho Ga and man was it full of MSG. The broth was super flavourful which could only mean one thing... Being the free-range variety, the chicken was very chewy, hence the kids avoided it. The meatballs were good though. In the end, this was not a good version of Pho Ga. Lastly, we tried the Lemongrass Chicken, Grilled Vietnamese Ham and Fried Egg on Rice. The rice itself was a bit too dry while the nicely fried egg did help somewhat. We liked the chicken though as it was flavourful and charred nicely, as with the pork. This was a decent end to a so-so meal. Nothing particularly bad, but nothing really that stood out either. Consider it an average Vietnamese restaurant.

The Good:
- Staff are pretty friendly
- Prices are okay

The Bad:
- Food is so-so
- Too much MSG

Noble Court

2013-04-27T00:00:00.002-07:00

In my previous Bellevue Dim Sum posts, I've mentioned Noble Court on more than one occasion. Why? Well, it was one of the first Chinese restaurants in Bellevue that served Dim Sum. Oh how times have changed, where there are better choices nearby and in Seattle itself. But how can we know the present and the future if we don't know the past? Yes, a visit to Noble Court was in order. On the day of our departure, we hit it up early on a Sunday morning, which ensured us a table without the wait. And as such, the push carts descended on our table like a moth to a flame. My kids were wondering why our table was full of food so quickly (as they have grown accustomed to ordering food rather than push carts).

We started with the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice wrapped in lotus leaves) as the kids were demanding it. This was okay with slightly dry rice with a good amount of ground pork filling. It could've stood for a bit more seasoning though. We got another kiddie favourite in the Wu Gok (Fried Taro Dumplings). Again, this was okay as the exterior was crispy and not too greasy while the layer of mashed taro was the right thickness and smooth. The filling was essentially the same as the lo mei gai, which meant it was dry and a bit bland. Okay, if you are familiar with Dim Sum, the one dish that can define a restaurant is the Shrimp Dumpling or Haw Gow. Well, if this was the defining moment of our meal, then our meal was as good as the Lindsay Lohan's career. These dumplings were terrible. The shrimp filling was mushy and not very appealing. Furthermore, there was a general lack of flavour while the dumpling skin was doughy. One of the worst versions I've had in a long time (and this is taking into account we were in Bellevue).

Fortunately, the Sui Mai (another standard of any Dim Sum service) was better. It was mostly comprised of pork with some small bits of shrimp and shitake mushroom. There was a bounce texture while the flavours were mostly sweet. On the topic of Dim Sum standards, the discussion must include the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll as well (or some variation). This particular one was thick, yet soft (possibly too soft) at the same time. Once again, the shrimp (much like the haw gow) was limp and mushy with no snap. It was on the bland side as well. Naturally, Dim Sum would not be complete without an order of offal, so I got the Bible Tripe. It was pretty standard with a good gingery, green onion hit while the tripe itself was pleasantly chewy. There was on gaminess which meant it was rinsed properly.

Moving along, we had the Black Bean Spareribs, which had a relatively good bounce texture. It was on the chewier side, but okay nonetheless. In terms of flavour, it was porky with little else (even though we could clearly see the black bean). One dish we could've really done without (in addition to the crappy haw gow) was the BBQ Pork Buns. There was nothing particularly wrong with the bun itself as it was soft and fluffy, but the filling was terrible. It was quite sour and off-putting. We realize that the filling can taste a bit tart sometimes, but this tasted like it had gone bad. We didn't end up eating much of it at all.

Nearing the end, we decided to try their Preserved Egg & Salted Pork Congee. It was rather smooth and semi-thick, however, it looked like it had been put through a food processor. Therefore the texture was a little weird. Furthermore, there was a general lack of flavour, which was partially due to the lack of ingredients. For dessert, we went for the Egg Tarts which were quite good. The pastry was flaky and light while the filling was semi-sweet. This helped erase the bad taste in our mouths from the sub-par dishes we had prior. Not sure how they can really compete with better joints such as Top Gun and Joi's nearby...

The Good:
- Decent variety
- Large dining room

The Bad:
- Overall sub-par Dim Sum
- Not enough servers

Sushi Maru

2013-04-26T00:00:00.002-07:00

Having ate a late lunch including a pit stop at Full Tilt for ice cream, we were not exactly hungry for dinner. So we went shopping instead... to the delight of our kids. Not. If you ever want to hear whining and complaining, just take a couple of tired kids to Wal-Mart. I dare you. After that, we were in search of late night eats in Bellevue. That brought us to Sushi Maru. Similar to Sushi Land, they employ a conveyor belt of food categorized by colored plates which determine the pricing. I must admit, this is a novel and fun way of eating. The kids were sure impressed, watching the food go round and round. They couldn't keep their hands off the chocolate-covered strawberries and cake. Yah, we finally did give in at the end...

One of the first plates we grabbed was the Rainbow Roll. Naturally, we weren't expecting much out of a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, but the roll was okay. The rice was kinda dry and lacking in flavour, but the fish was actually decent, as with the avocado. Next up was a Grilled Red Snapper which was actually quite good. The fish had a nice exterior crust while the inside was flaky and moist. Majestically plated, we had no idea what it was, but my best guess would be the Las Vegas Roll. Essentially a Cali roll with cooked salmon on top with a mayonnaise dressing and tobiko. This was not bad, considering it was only $3.65.

Moving along (literally as the food was actually moving along!), we had a Fried Roll of some sort. I really couldn't decipher what it was because it didn't match any of the photos in the menu. It was kinda ugly and disfigured. It ate much like it looked being dry and hard, rather than crunchy and soft. Something of an oddity was the Popcorn Chicken. Resembling more like deformed chicken nuggets or small chicken strips, these were super crunchy and curiously topped with ranch dressing. The white meat was relatively moist inside. Weird, but I give them props for making them from scratch. As a side note, they used it for their Orange Chicken too (yah, don't laugh...).

We also tried some Nigiri Sushi and it was acceptable. Yes it had the same dry flavourless rice, but the fish was okay. For the kiddies, we got a plate of Fried Rice and it was surprisingly decent. It was seasoned just enough and it experienced good wok heat. Sadly, with all the options moving about, the kids were eying the Chocolate Mousse Cake the whole time. We finally gave in to the pre-made slice. Hey, it was fine considering it cost only $2.65. Okay, for those who are Japanese food aficionados, I'm sure you are reading this in horror right now. However, Sushi Maru serves their target market (which is not you) for a reasonable price.

The Good:
- Lots of choice
- Reasonably-priced
- Novelty factor

The Bad:
- Pretty average
- Pretty busy which means hard to flag someone down (they're friendly though)

Full Tilt

2013-04-25T00:00:00.003-07:00

I remember a time when I could stroll up to the arcade and play games like Dig Dug, Galaga, Pac Man and the sort. Well, there are certainly a number of game emulators out there and little gadgets that turn your iPad into a mini-arcade game. But what if one could walk into a store and play the games in their full glory at 25 cents? Also, what if there was house-made ice cream as well as fresh waffle cones? Sounds too good to be true right? Well, welcome to Full Tilt - where fresh ice cream and old school arcade meet. Oh, throw in some comics and Magic cards too...

After our lunch at Luna Park, we decided to hit up Full Tilt on the suggestion of Scout and Lola. For me, it was all about the waffle cone since the smell was intoxicating. I decided to fill that cone with a scoop of Salted Caramel. I found it to be rich and creamy with very little air whipped in. There was a definite hit of salt that really amped up the sweetness. As for the waffle cone, it was crunchy and sweet. Scout ended up with the Raspberry Sorbet (so as my daughter) and it was light and just sweet enough. It wasn't icy.

Lastly, Lola had something a bit off the beaten path being the Horchata ice cream. If you haven't heard of this before, it is a Mexican drink consisting of rice milk and cinnamon. I found this one to be light on the cinnamon, but good nonetheless as it shared the same qualities as the one I had. Overall, it was a fun experience as it brought back some good memories in terms of the ol' skool video games and Magic too (ack... can't believe I admitted to that!).

The Good:
- Lotsa ol' skool games for a quarter
- Decent house-made ice cream
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Limited flavours (which would mean freshness though)
- Limited seating

Luna Park Cafe

2013-04-24T00:00:00.001-07:00

I'm a huge history buff, especially when it comes to the World Wars. So imagine my disappointment when we had to leave the Museum of Flight (last year) just as we were entering the displays on WWI and WWII. You see, the kiddies were hungry and we had already spent over 3 hours at the museum. Determined to visit it again, we made our way to there this time around and headed straight to the part I wanted to see. We met up with our friends Lola and Scout who had free passes. Score! Afterwards, after another 3 hours, the kids were ready to leave once again. We ended up heading to Luna Park Cafe, which sits on the site of a former amusement park. Hence, the decor in the cafe has all sorts of memorabilia. In essence, the place is a diner complete with a long counter and jukebox. As such, I got into the diner mood by ordering a Creamsicle Shake. As clearly shown in the picture, the shake was melting over the sides while a nearly full tin essentially doubled-up the order. It was creamy, not crazy sweet and yes, very creamsicle-ish. I liked how it was thick, yet at the same time, easy to process through a straw at the same time.

For my main, I had the Gut Bomb, which sounded really large in theory, but ended up to be a decent-sized burger with ham, cheese and a fried egg. Nothing particularly amazing nor disappointing with it - a capable burger that filled my tummy. The ham was moist while the patty was dry and slightly chewy. The bottom half of the bun was a bit wet as well. The side of fries looked amply fried and starch-coated, thus being really crispy. Viv went for Jackie's Favorite which was a turkey melt with green chilies. The turkey was dry while the green chilies added a nice tartness and slight kick. It was kissed by the flat-top with a nearly burnt (but not) exterior which added crunch and butteriness. She had it with a side of Clam Chowder which was super rich with a heavy dosage of bacon. Hence, there was no shortage of salty-smoky flavour to go with the creaminess and clammy broth. This was good, but a cup was all one could take.

Scout had The Grinder which resembled a Philly cheese steak, but not. It was pretty good with lots of ingredients prepared on a flat top, but what was the star of the plate was the thick crunchy onion rings. I generally like the breaded version more, but this one was coated pretty thick and was super crunchy - hence very good. Lola went for the 1/2 Veggie Sandwich with a side of Chili. The grilled veggies were vibrant with a slight char. Despite the high moisture content, the bread did get wet which was a pleasant surprise. The chili had a good kick although it was predominantly beans.

As for the kiddies, my son had the *yawn* Grilled Cheese. Does he ever want anything else? Anyways, it was made with real cheddar and toasted a golden brown. However, there shredded cheese in the middle was not completely melted. My daughter had the Kid's Burger and it was plenty big for her. She wasn't particularly impressed with the chewiness of the patty though. As you can see, the food here ain't gonna pioneer any culinary revolution. It's a diner after all! So if expectations are reasonable, Luna Park Cafe is a neat place to grab a meal.

The Good:
- Cool retro, eclectic digs
- Wonderful service
- Good milkshakes

The Bad:
- Food is so-so
- Long lineups (good for them)
- Lack of parking