Otreat Brunch + Bistro

Brunch is a thing in the GVRD.  I'm sure I haven't said anything new with that statement since you can find brunch literally everywhere.  From high-end hotel restaurants to the neighbourhood cafe, we can get some pretty good brunch at different price points.  Now, have you noticed that there has been growth in the Korean-inspired brunch spots?  Think of it, we have Jess, Toast to Coast, Off and On etc...  Trying to get to all of them, I finally made it out to OTreat Brunch & Bistro in Walnut Grove in Langley.  OTreat is actually the combination of "offer" and "treat".  I guess we were ready for a treat!

That we were when we decided to go with Bulgogi Eggs Benny served on thick-cut toast.  Yes, this was as big as it appeared with a plethora of tender beef bulgogi.  The meat was moist and full-flavoured with a balance between sweet and savoury.  This was also set atop a hash with smashed potatoes, tomato confit and carrot rappe.  Two perfectly poached eggs with runny yolks were covered with velvety Hollandaise.  I thought it was creamy and buttery with enough seasoning.

We were recommended the Egg in Hash with gravy and honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of it.  For me, the whole point of a hash is that it is caramelized with peppers and onions, possibly has crispy potatoes and also crisped up sausage.  This had all of that but then was doused in gravy.  Now the gravy was actually great clinging onto everything with a silky texture.  It was salty enough to provided the necessary seasoning as well.  I just didn't like that the hash was wet.

For our choice in the pasta section of the menu, we decided on the Pesto Prawn Pasta.  We thought this was a solid dish where the linguine was al dente and thoroughly coated in a cheesy, nutty and herbaceous pesto (without being drenched).  This didn't eat too greasy and the extra parm and fresh basil provided more pesto vibes.  The prawns were beautifully prepared having a meaty snap that was sweet with natural prawn essence.

My favourite item of the meal had to be the Pork Banh Mi served in a soft baguette.  Now soft meant the inside as the outside was still crispy.  Stuffed full of juicy pieces of grilled pork, this was very filling.  In addition to the caramelized and smoky flavours of the pork, we found cilantro, carrot rappe, pickled radish, cucumber, tomato and jalapeno.  I could've done without the tomato as it made things rather wet.  However, the red pepper dressing was money as it provided slight spice and sweetness.  The side of starch-coated fries were fried perfectly crispy. 

In addition to brunch items, there is a display of bakery items too at the front.  We ended up getting the Ragu Croissant as well as the Earl Grey Cream Croissant.   Really enjoyed the savoury meat ragu and melted cheese on the crispy and flaky croissant.  As for the dessert croissant, it was filled with earl grey cream that was light and only sweet enough.  The pastry itself was a bit stiff though.  Still enjoyed it.  Overall, the food at OTreat is pretty solid and well-portioned.  The space is cute and the service is attentive.  Good brunch option out in Langley.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Well-portioned
- Cute place

The Bad:
- Enjoyed the cream in the cream croissant but the pastry was a bit stiff

B House (Lunch Specials)

The last time I visited B House, it was for dinner and we had some pretty delicious dishes.  They are an Asian fusion restaurant that successfully blends different cuisines together.  As you might imagine, fusion doesn't always work, but when it does, it is addictive.  This should be no surprise though as head chef, Hung Nguyen, has ample experience in the culinary field as he is a graduate of the International Culinary School at the Arts Institute of Vancouver.  Also, he has worked extensively within the industry including being head chef at Rogue Kitchen & Bar.  To makes things even more enticing, B House is offering a $15.00 quick pick lunch menu from Monday to Thursdays until 3:00pm.  You know how expensive eating out (and even just buying groceries) is these days, so whenever there is a deal, it is a great thing (especially when it tastes good too!).

Jackie and I were invited to try some of the items out on said menu starting with the Yellowfin Poke Bowl.  Although I would've preferred sushi rice, this was still fulfilling.  I understand why they didn't as there is no other dishes that require sushi rice on the menu.  On top, we found spicy tuna sashimi, pickled ginger, seaweed salad, nori strips, tobiko, pineapple, cucumber-tomato-kale salad, sesame seed, crispy garlic and truffle aioli.  With all of these components, we had a bit of everything including buttery fish, crunchy bits, brightness, aromatics and sweet tanginess.

One of my favourite dishes was the Papaya Salad with Lemongrass Chicken.  So this was essentially their version of a green papaya salad with kale, carrot, candied almonds, basil-cilantro-mint mix and pickled ginger vinaigrette.  Suffice to say, there was plenty of crunch from the green papaya and carrots as well as the sweet hard crunch from the almonds.  Add in the tangy bite from the vinaigrette and the bright herbaceous hit from the herbs, we had lots going.  To literally top it off, we had a well-charred brined chicken thigh that was succulent and full-flavoured.

Almost a hybrid of the first 2 dishes, the Pork Belly Bowl consisted of a jasmine rice base with beer-braised pork belly, daikon slaw, cucumber, tomato, pineapple, green onion, soy marinated egg, sesame seeds, crispy garlic and house aioli.  The best part of the dish was the buttery soft pork belly that wasn't too fatty.  It was flavourful with enough saltiness to carry the dish.  The other ingredients helped balance everything out with freshness, sweetness and tanginess.  Didn't hurt to have a custardy egg on top too.

Moving on to something brothy, we had the Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Soup.  So this was a version of Pho Ga, but with the same juicy and flavourful lemongrass chicken as the salad.  This in itself made this bowl already.  However, the broth could stand on its own too with savouriness, sweetness and umami.  With the usual addition of onion, cilantro and bean sprouts, we had the usual Pho accompaniment flavours.  There was also some chili flakes to add a bit of extra bite.

So with the reuse of the lemongrass chicken and pork belly in the Banh Mi and the Little Saigon Club, we knew there was the potential of tastiness.  Both were sandwiched within a crunchy baguette with chicken pate, lettuce and cucumber (tomato, daikon slaw & chili lime aioli for the chicken).  Since the proteins were tender and flavourful, the sandwiches were good right away.  Add in the pate, and we had some umaminess and creaminess.  The side of fries were fantastic, being hot and crunchy with soft potato texture inside.

We ordered some drinks to go with our meal including the Lychee Mojito, Just Like Shirley Tempo, Organic Vietnamese Iced Coffee and the Sweet & Spicy Pineapple.  These were all refreshing and since they were mocktails (can be had as real cocktails too), they were lightly sweet.  We couldn't help but order a dessert from the regular menu in the French Toast.  This was a great way to finish our meal.  Each slice of toast was soaked with enough egg and milk to create a custardy bread pudding texture.  They generously spread berry compote in between while providing a hazelnut chocolate sauce for us to pour over the whole thing.  Literally couldn't stop eating this.  In fact, all of the dishes were appealing and totally worth it for $15.00.  B House is such a little gem that is a great alternative to the Chain restaurants.

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

The Good:
- Great value at $15.00
- Big enough portion size too
- Delicious

The Bad:
- Wished they had sushi rice for the yellowfin tuna, but understand that they would have no use of sushi rice in any other dish

Zhengxin Chicken Steak

I don't think there is a more universally loved dish as fried chicken.  Almost every culture has their own version and for all that I've tried, they have all been awesome.  So we are all familiar with Southern Fried Chicken and more recently, the ever popular KFC (Korean Fried Chicken).  However, one type of fried chicken that is gaining traction, especially locally, is Chinese-style fried chicken.  Now, I'm not talking about the Cantonese-style crispy chicken.  Rather, it is the Northern Chinese one that incorporates a savoury seasoning that usually includes Szechuan peppercorns.  The first location of Zhengzin Chicken Steak (out of China) has set up shop in Burnaby on Kingsway near Metrotown.

To get a full rundown of the menu, we ended up with both of their Combos for Two including the Double Package A consisting of a Spicy Chicken Steak, Spicy Chicken Leg Burger, 6 Hot Wings, Fries and 2 drinks.  This was a fantastic value at only $36.95.  The wings were crispy while sporting juicy meat inside.  It was mildly spiced while seasoned completely.  Chicken steak was cut up for us and it was fairly tender with also a slight spiciness.  As for the burger, the deboned chicken leg was succulent and juicy.  It was also mildly spicy with some tingle on our tastebuds.  The bun was really thin and almost not there.  It was like a jiang beng but fluffier.

The Double Package B featured even more food with the Hawaiian Grilled Burger, Spicy Chicken Burger, Boneless Chicken Strips, 6 Orleans Wings, Fries and 2 drinks.  I thought the thin bun did not stand up to the wet ingredients of the Hawaiian burger very well.  However, the chicken was fantastic though being super juicy.  The addition of pineapple did give it plenty of sweetness and tang.  The chicken strips were very crunchy and a touch dry.  However, they were well-seasoned with the usual spices such as 5-spice, cumin and Szechuan peppercorns.  The Orleans wings were quite different as they were grilled.  Hence, they were a little less juicy, but still plenty tender.  Skin was fairly well-rendered and slightly sweet.  Fries were great being hot, crispy and plenty potatoey inside.

Last item was the Deep Fried Chicken Legs.  These were split down the middle and fried aggressively.  Hence, the outside was super crispy and the meat was on the drier side.  However, that worked as the texture was remarkably different than the juicy wings and leg in the burgers.  It helped concentrate the spices more so with its fall flavours having an earthy, licorice and spicy notes.  Overall, the fried chicken at Zhengxin was great with many different options that were unique in their own way.  Naturally, the seasoning is typical of Chinese fried chicken with its earthy, sweet and fall flavours.  Pricing is reasonable where the combos being a steal in my opinion.  Great for both take out and dine-in.

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

The Good:
- Solid fried chicken that is a different than the local version
- Large portions
- Combos are a great deal

The Bad:
- Some items are not exactly juicy, but they work in their own way
- The thin bun doesn't stand up to wet ingredients  

Gyubee

Two Summers ago, we were back East visiting Quebec City and Montreal.  We've been there before and it is always a pleasure to revisit the sights and sounds.  Naturally, we also had some excellent eats, particularly in Montreal.  Changing it up a bit, we made our way to Ottawa as well.  Strangely, this was our first time in our Nation's capital and well, it was fine.  TBH, Quebec City and Montreal are much more interesting.  Sorry Ottawa.  However, we did try Gyubee for the first time in Byward Market.  We came away mighty impressed with AYCE hybrid Japanese grill.  I say hybrid because they feature quite a few Korean items as well.  Finally, we get a location in Richmond and of course, we made our way out to try it!

So they do have an online wait list, but all of your party has to be present to be seated.  You have a 2-hour limit and they enforce this diligently.  If you are arriving at peak times, be prepared to wait for an hour plus.  So we got right down to eating and ordered everything we could.   Yes, Gyubee is a Japanese Grill, but in reality, it is Korean-style.  Hey, nothing wrong with that as we had some Banchan (Kimchi, Tofu, Spinach & Sprouts) and Takoyaki.  I wasn't a huge fan of the kimchi as it was more sour than spicy.  Furthermore, this was not the version with shrimp paste, so there was no complexity to the flavours.  Otherwise, the rest were pretty typical.  Takoyaki was decent being soft and fluffy.

I'll get right to some of the cooked dishes before I talk about the meats.  These included Bibimbap, Steak Cutlet, Nagoya-Style Chicken Wings and Tantan Noodles.  No joke, the Bibimbap was really good.  From the chewy rice to the delicious veggies, the bowl just worked.  We had enough gochujang for sweet spice and also a runny egg yolk for silkiness.  Steak Cutlet was okay being a touch chewy.  Wings were great, they were crispy with lots of flavour and juicy meat inside.  Tantan Noodles were forgettable as there was an absence of spice and nuttiness.

As for the meats, I'm not going to cover all of them because it got chaotic at the table with everything hitting the table at once.  I'll talk about my favourite cuts including the Prime Kalbi.  These fatty slices of short rib grilled up well and were buttery soft.   The same could be said about the Black Pepper Kalbi as it shared mostly the same properties except with a more robust bite.  I also enjoyed the Pork Belly as it was a good mix of fat and meat.  It cooked up buttery and had great flavour.

There were some items served in tin foil containers that cooked on the grill for designated minutes.  These included the Sake Clams, Butter Corn, Salmon and Enoki Mushrooms.  Really enjoyed these as the time suggested on the tin foil lids were exact (as long as they weren't pushed off to the side of the grill).  Clams came out buttery and sweet while the corn was also sweet and even more buttery.  The salmon was cooked just enough and was flaky.

Unlike the location in Ottawa, the one here in Richmond does not serve Melona for dessert.  Rather, they have Chapman's Sundaes in addition to their fantastic Crème Brûlée.   For this one we had the crème brûlée was not torched enough, but still featured a crunchy sugar topping.  The custard was rich and creamy while purposefully sweet.  Overall, our meal was decent, but somehow, I enjoyed the one in Ottawa more.  Maybe with some time, they will get up to speed and I won't be thinking that.  I do wonder if the higher prices here (generally $10.00 more than Ottawa) would make this not "worth it".  It is $50.99 on weekdays and $53.99 on weekends for adults.  This is quite similar pricing to AYCE hot pot at Chocho, so it isn't outrageous.  I guess it depends if you want the variety and actually can eat your money's worth.

The Good:
- Pretty good meats
- Service was pretty efficient
- Their Crème Brûlée is pretty good with all things considered

The Bad:
- Crazy busy with a long wait time
- Is it worth it? Depends on what you are looking for

Mainichi Sushi

As if the economy needed any other shock waves to make it worse, the prevailing situation in the world events have made things even more unstable.  With all this uncertainty, the threat of a recession seems more and more probable.  Hence, it was already tough to do any discretionary spending on things that would be best saved.  It brings me to the problem of eating out, where it really is one of the first things to be cut from the household budget.  Therefore, any really great deals (that involves actually good food) needs to be celebrated.  That is the case at Mainichi Sushi where their "Build Your Own Combos" are coming in at $14.95 for 2 items and $19.95 for 3 items.  If you want to be a bit more deluxe, there are supplemental charges for higher priced items.  

We actually visited Mainichi twice trying almost everything available for building your own combo.  The first visit, we ended up trying 2 combos including the first one with Seafood Udon (+$2.00), Mentaiko Cream Udon (+$1.50) and Salmon Don (+$3.00).  So this actually cost $26.45 in the end, but this was very filling due to the generous size of the "mini" portions.  The food was also great as the salmon was buttery and the rice was nicely seasoned and firm.  

Next combo consisted of Prawn & Yam Tempura, Chicken Katsu Curry (+$2.00) and Unagi Don (+$5.00).  So this one ended up to be $26.95.  Sure, it cost more, but this was super filling with 2 rice dishes that weren't exactly small despite being mini.  We packed some home!  The curry was flavourful with earthiness and sweetness.  Chicken was tender with a crispy coating.  Unagi was plentiful and buttery with sweet sauce drizzled on top.

On our second visit, we were able to sample an array of items that are available as part of the Build Your Own Combo deal.  We went for some of the sashimi options including Hotate (+$3.00), Hamachi (+$3.00), Wild Salmon (+$2.00) and Toro (+$2.00).  If you are wondering what isn't extra charge, they are the Atlantic Salmon and Albacore Tuna Sashimi.  These were fresh and textures were on point.  Scallops were super sweet while the toro was buttery soft.

Some of the options for Sushi included Sushi Pizza (+$1.00), Unagi Roll, Wild Salmon, Chopped Scallop Nigiri, Dynamite Roll and Real Crab California Roll (+$5.00).  As you can see, the size of the rolls/nigiri were large with minimal sushi rice.  I particularly enjoyed the sushi pizza served on crispy rice.  Had good spice and crunch.  The dynamite roll was enormous and filled with imitation crab and ebi tempura.  Sure, the real crab Cali roll was $5.00 more, but it was full of briny snow crab.

We got a few udon dishes from that section of the menu.  They included the Seafood Yaki Udon (+$2.00) and Seafood Udon (+$2.00) once again as well as the Kimchi Mentaiko Udon (+$1.50).  As you can see, these were decent in size and were full of ingredients.  Really enjoyed the kimchi mentaiko udon as there was plenty of briny tangy spiciness.   The yaki udon was also good with plenty of savoury sweetness.  Also got the Hamachi Kama, I think?  It said Salmon Kama on the menu, but it didn't look or eat like salmon.  It was good nonetheless being buttery soft.

We had 7 examples of the rice dishes available.  We had the Chicken Teriyaki Don, Kimchi Fried Rice, Spicy Pork Don, Salmon Don (+$3.00), Unagi Don (+$3.00), LA Galbi Don (+$6.00) and Pork Katsu Don (+$2.00).  I really loved the spicy pork don as there was plenty of seared fatty pork that was definitely spicy and tasty.  Of course the galbi was great, but it did cost quite a bit more.  The pork katsu was juicy and topped with a sweet and tangy sauce.  So as you can see, there are many options to create your own meal.  We didn't even cover all of it.  There are quite a few choices that aren't extra charge and if you guessed these are more basic dishes, you are correct.  However, if you want to have your cake and eat it too, you totally can stick within the non-extra charge items and keep it to $14.95 or $19.95.  

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

 

The Good:

- Solid neighbourhood Japanese spot

- Generous portions, even for mini-size

- Affordable

 

The Bad:

- Yep, most of the more desirable dishes involve a supplemental charge, but hey, they need to make money right?

- Not a big place, gets busy 

Curry N Grill East Indian Bistro

You know I've been talking about the elevation of cuisines that have been traditionally "cheap eats".  That would include Chinese, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and the sort.  Over the past 10 years of so, we have seen Indian restaurants (representing various regions in India) become much more opulent and offering up delicious fusion dishes as well as cocktails.  One of the newest is located on Granville between West 10th and 11th.  They took over the spot that The Marquis used to occupy and they have retained the elevated pub decor and atmosphere.  Chef Kamal is at the helm and he has travelled the world working in such places as the Taj Hotel and Park Plaza in India, Oman, Germany and in London, where he refined his skills in Michelin-starred restaurants.  With all this experience, we were excited to try his food!

To start, we had the Reshmi Chicken Tikka and Veg Samosa.   Served straight off the skewer from the tandoor, the chicken was succulent and full-flavoured.  It was aromatic and nutty featuring caramelization and char on the outside.  As for the samosa, it was full of tender potatoes that were not mushy.  Rather, there was still a bit of texture.  It was nicely spiced where there was a touch of heat to go with the earthiness.  The pastry itself was crispy and not greasy.

We then moved onto 2 classics in the Butter Chicken and Lamb Vindaloo.  Creamy and earthy, the butter chicken had a nice balance from the tanginess.  There was also some spice to it and sweetness as well.  The sufficient chunks of chicken breast were tender.  As for the vindaloo, the lamb was lean, yet still succulent.   Beyond that, the curry was full of depth with the burst of tang from the vinegar while the spices gave off fall flavours from the cloves and cinnamon.

If you look at the Palak Paneer, you will notice that it is really green.  Unlike other versions, it looks freshly green, where they didn't cook it too long and put it in a cold water bath.  Hence, I could really taste the spinach and the texture wasn't completely mush.  The ginger really came through and the paneer was soft and squishy.  Sizzling on the hot cast iron plate, the Tandoori Chicken was fantastic.  There was a smoky char and plenty of caramelization.  The chicken was tender and juicy while beautifully marinated.

We also added the Fish Pakora after the fact and it turned out to be an excellent choice.  The medium-sized pieces of fish were flaky and moist while coated in a fairly thin batter.  It was crispy and well-spiced with some earthy and nutty notes.  Of course we had some Garlic Naan to accompany out curries (as well as rice).  This version was more on the crispier side with a completely browned bottom and blistered top.  Hence, it needed to be dipped into a curry to soften it up.  There was plenty of garlic, so it was pretty tasty on its own.

Our last 2 curries happened to be our favourites in the Creamy Chicken and Coconut Prawn.  I've had something similar to the creamy chicken lately at another restaurant where they called it "Marry Me Chicken".  Well for this version, I would definitely commit!  It was creamy as promised while not completely heavy either.  It was lightly sweet with some spice and the usual cumin earthiness.  The dark meat chicken was super tender.  As for the coconut prawn, it was also creamy but with a coconutty aroma.  It was also sweet and had just a slight hint of the prawn brininess.  Definitely went well with the basmati rice.

So we had a few beverages to compliment our meal in the Watermelon Mojito, Rainbow Cocktail and Empress Gimlet.  Totally refreshing and excellent for Summer, the mojito was light and just sweet enough.  I found the the rainbow cocktail to be rather sweet from all the layers of syrups.  Best to pair that with spicier and robust dishes.  The gimlet was also light and went well with the seafood dishes.  For dessert, we had the Gulub Jamun served with ice cream.  Normally, I am not a fan of these rose-water soaked dough balls.  Shockingly, I didn't mind these since they were sweet, but not crazy sweet.  They were soft and aromatic.  The ice cream was high-quality too being creamy.  Overall, the meal at Curry N Grill was fantastic and food was prepared carefully.  Nice to see an authentic Indian restaurant with reasonably-priced eats along South Granville in Vancouver.

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

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Well-priced (also daily deals available)
- Comfortable dining room

The Bad:
- Parking can be a challenge in the area during peak times