Belgard Kitchen (Tasting Menu)

It's been awhile since I have been back to Belgard Kitchen.  Last time, we enjoyed a delicious brunch while admiring the high ceilings and rustic decor.  I always knew they had a solid dinner service where recently, they have begun offering a Tasting menu for only $65.00.  Now your YMMV (your mileage may vary) on how much you save dependent on which dishes are served.  Besides, their regular menu is quite reasonable to begin with.

So the meal started off with an Amuse Bouche with a Carrot Granita with a coconut citrus cream on top.  This frozen little bite(s) was truly refreshing with the sweetness of the carrots pairing well with the aromatics of the cream.  Being a wine bar, we decided to order from the Vancouver Urban Winery selection (as they are in the same space) with a White and a Rosé.  I couldn't wait to try the white, so that is why there is less than the other.  It was very light and fruity almost like a riesling, but not as sweet.  The rosé was also light with a few background fruit notes that were refreshing, great for a Summer's day.

The first dish to arrive was actually a board of Charcuterie.  This featured salami, coppa, manchego, aged cheddar, mushroom bacon paté, olives, pickles and grilled bread.  I thought it was the perfect amount for 2 people.  Of course, the board would be larger for more guests doing the tasting menu.  I found the grilled sourdough to be fantastic with a buttery crispiness yielding to a soft and chewy interior.  It paired well with the creamy paté and its salty smoky umaminess.

With so many beet salads roaming around on menus these days, how did Beets by Belgard stand out?  Well, I'm happy to report that this was one memorable version.  Sitting on a bed of house lemon ricotta, the sous vide earthy beets were balanced off by a creamy tanginess.  With some pickled beets, we got more acidity and sweetness (and some crunch).  But the best thing was the smoked beets, as they really added depth.  We got some more texture with the candied walnuts.

Another dish that is widely available but rarely executed properly is a risotto.  Once again, the kitchen here nailed it with the Hokkaido Scallop Risotto.  The arborio rice was cooked masterfully with a chewiness that was perfect.  It was creamy and the smoked scallop butter afforded briny and sweet aromatics.  Drops of black garlic pureé upped the umami of the dish as well as some tanginess.  Of course we can't forget about the plump scallops...  They were buttery, soft and nicely seared.  The inside was a little rare, just like it should be.

Onto the other large dish, we had the Arctic Char in beurre blanc with tarragon oil.  There was also a pea pureé and compressed cucumbers.  I found the fish itself to be cooked properly being moist and flaky with crispy well-seasoned skin.  The silky and nutty beurre blanc complimented the fish well by letting it be the star.  With sweetness and some liquorice background notes  by the tarragon oil.  It provided something extra to the sauce.

For our side, we had the Roasted Broccolini with gremolata and toasted sunflower seeds.  First off, the broccolini itself was fresh and appealing.  It had a nice crunch and natural sweetness.  It was roasted just enough without impacting its crunch.  However, it did intensify the vegetably sweetness.  The addition of a gremolata mean there was some bright garlickiness present.  Extra texture and nuttiness was thanks to the sunflower seeds.
 

For dessert, we were served the Black Forest S'mores with torched meringue, chocolate mousse, sour cherries and sour cherry sorbet.  Nicely deconstructed version of the classic and loved the use of pressed and crispy sourdough as the "cracker".  That sour cherry added so much flavour and brightness to the dish.  As a bonus, we got to try the Basque Cheesecake with guava wine sauce.  As you can see, this was a nice-looking Basque cheesecake.  Texturally, it was firm, but fluffy at the same time.  It was creamy and mildly sweet with the cheese coming through.  The wine sauce was fabulous having the wonderful flavour of guava with only a bit of wine essence.  As you can see, the food at Belgard is carefully prepared, thoughtful and plated nicely.  Furthermore, it tasted great.  For $65.00, the tasting menu is a good value.

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

The Good:
- Approachable prices
- Well-prepared eats
- There is a level of refinement here

The Bad:
- Tasting menu vs a la carte, prices are quite close except you get dessert included

Zab Zaab Thai

I'm not usually the type to do random eats, but there have been instances where it works out.  Case in point, our recent foray to Zab Zaab Thai in Yaletown.  We were in downtown to watch a show at the Orpheum and we had fortunately snagged one of the free spots near Elsie Roy Elementary School.  We really didn't have a plan for a dinner spot and we wandered Yaletown hoping to gain some inspiration.  We considered some ol' standbys including Rodney's or even Cactus Club.  That is when we stumbled on Zab Zaab Thai that has the "Thai Select" award that guarantees authenticity according to Thailand's Ministry of Commerce.  

The menu is pretty large and it was hard to choose between items.  Ultimately, we began with a pair of soups including the Tom Yum with prawns and the Tom Kah with chicken.  Gotta say that these were pretty good and a nice start to our meal.  I found the fragrant and aromatic components were all discernible and in balance.  Hence, the lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, fish sauce and spice were all there and came through in layers.  Of course, the Tom Kah added the creaminess and aromatics of coconut milk.

Next up, we had the Crying Tiger Beef or grilled NY striploin.  This was perfectly charred which resulted in a smoky nuttiness.  There was plenty of natural meat flavour from the perfectly medium-rare cook on the steak.  In terms of texture, we found it to be not as tender as expected, but at the same time, it wasn't overly chewy either.  This was served with a tangy, sweet and lightly spicy house dip.  The sauce was the key component to this dish as it was super appetizing and impactful.  We also had a side of sticky rice that was great with the dip as well.

From their special menu, we tried the Crispy Pork Belly Basil with garlic, chili, green beans, bell peppers and holy basil.  We really enjoyed this with some rice as the aroma from this dish was super pleasing.  Due to the proper wok hei, this had caramelized sweetness as well as the garlicky savouriness that helped seasoned the crisp veggies.  The pork belly itself was meat with just enough fattiness to keep things moist and buttery.  Although stir-fried, the crackling remained crunchy.

As per usual, we got some veggies into our meal with the Stir-Fried Vegetables.  This consisted of seasoned vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, broccoli, button mushrooms and green beans.  Since it was cooked in a high heat wok, the veggies cooked through while retaining a crunch.  Things were flavourful with the use of mushroom oyster sauce where we had the rich saltiness that had plenty of umami.  As you can see in the picture, there was very little residual moisture and oil.

One of my favourite dishes of the night was the Pad See Ew.  The most important part of this dish is the actual wok fry.  There needs to be wok hei resulting in caramelization and that smokiness from the searing of the components.  Well, this version definitely achieved that with intense sweetness that was balanced off by the saltiness.  The noodles were al dente, not clumpy and not oversauced.  We chose chicken to go with this (rather than our usual tofu) and it was fairly moist.  The gai lan was vibrant and had a nice crunch.  Good amount of fried egg too.

For our curry option, we chose the Tofu Red Curry.  Normally, we would probably go for beef, but since we didn't have tofu in the pad see ew, we wanted to try it.  As you can see, the cubes of tofu were on the larger side, but worked okay with this dish.  The pieces were more robust and stood up to the creamy and sweet curry.  There was medium spice with a background brininess and aromatics from the lemongrass and galangal.

We went default with our dessert in the Mango Sticky Rice, where it arrived in one of the biggest portion sizes I've ever seen.  It consisted of a sliced whole mango and a considerable amount of sticky rice.  The texture of the rice was good being moist while still nicely chewy.  It was topped with sweet coconut cream.  The mango was ripe being sweet with a tang.  All-in-all, the food at Zab Zaab is solid and prepared with care.  Prices aren't cheap, but reasonable given its location.

The Good:

- Nice wok hei (Intense wok heat)

- Impactful flavours

- Attentive service

The Bad:

- Seating is a bit odd in the restaurant where it makes each table tight

Burnt Orange Cafe + Bistro

When I noticed that Kazu Japanese on Hastings in North Burnaby was closing, it made me sad.  That was one of the few authentic spots in the area, but it was time for the owner to retire.  Well, when one door closes, another opens right?  The space has been taken over by the Burnt Orange Cafe + Bistro, which is a breakfast/brunch spot that has a Korean influence.  Seems like The Grey Olive has some competition now!  I ended up making 2 separate visits and had a variety of breakfast and lunch items.

On my first visit, we shared the Sweet Soy Garlic Chicken Wings to start.  This was a pretty large portion of equally big flats and drumettes.  The meat was juicy and nicely seasoned, but the batter was on the thicker side.  Hence there was a considerable crunchiness, but it was also heavy.  Fortunately, the skin was somewhat rendered and hence, there wasn't any flabbiness.  In terms of the seasoning, it was good with a balance between sweet garlickiness and saltiness.

For our mains, we tried the Burnt Orange Burger with a thick beef patty, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, double Swiss, chipotle aioli and an onion ring on brioche.  This was a pretty solid burger where the patty was charred while the meat was still moist.  If you look at the picture, you might be wondering where the cheese, bacon and pickle are hiding.  Well, there was cheese, it was just off to one side, but I think they left out the pickle and bacon?  It was still a good burger though as the brioche held everything together.

We also had the Mushroom Cream Rigatoni with sauteed mushrooms, mushroom-miso cream, asparagus, pecorino, bread crumbs and shaved parmesan.  If this sounds heavy to you, then you would be right.  This was indeed creamy and rich with lots of nuttiness and saltiness.  I thought the umami really came through with the mushrooms as well as with the miso.  The rigatoni was firmly al dente and held onto the cream sauce well.  There was also a piece of garlic sourdough toast that was quite good.

On my next visit, we did mainly breakfast items including the Burnt Orange Breakfast Plate.  This was loaded with 2 eggs, apple sausage, 2 slices of bacon, parmesan potatoes and 2 slices of cranberry sourdough toast.  Solid plate of food with the eggs being doing overeasy perfectly with a runny yolk.  The bacon strips were crispy and not flabby while the sausage was meaty, juicy and sweet.  Wasn't a fan of the potatoes as they were too squishy.  However, that cranberry sourdough was really good.

We also went for the Pulled Pork Benedict that also came with the parmesan potatoes.  Well, you know what I thought about the potatoes, so I will only hope they make them crispier next time.  As for the benedict, the amount of pulled pork was substantial.  Better yet, it was tender and nicely sauced.  Hence it was moist and had plenty of smoky and sweet BBQ flavour.  The poached egg was beautifully runny and the Hollandaise was creamy and well-seasoned.

Now saving the best for last, the best item I had here was the Blueberry Pancakes.  Just look at the picture.  There was so much fruit on top!  This meant each bite was fruity, tangy and sweet.  However, the pancakes themselves were super fluffy and relatively thick.  Everything soaked into them and I barely needed the maple syrup.  Overall, the food at the Burnt Orange was solid and served in large portions.  Those pancakes were my favourite and would gladly have them again.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Large portions

- Nice service

The Bad:

- Hash browns could be crispier

- Seating is tight

Rice & Noodle (Granville)

Sometimes, simple is good.  We have so many food options in Vancouver, it can get pretty overwhelming and more recently, completely unaffordable.  Sure, we could just drop by any random fast food restaurant or food court stall, but many are rather boring.  One option that I never knew existed is Rice & Noodle.  This counter quick-service restaurant offers up Asian rice & noodles (hence the name) at reasonable prices and well-portioned plates.  Jackie and I checked out the new Granville location in Downtown.

The first item we tried as not a plate at all, rather, it was a bowl of Laksa with prawns.  For all their dishes, you can choose your protein, whether it be beef, pork, chicken, prawns or tofu.  As you can see from the picture, this looked pretty good.  That it was with a creamy coconutty broth that had the aromatics which included lemongrass, galangal and lime.  There was the sweetness of palm sugar and a touch of spice too.  Now we would never confuse this with the best Laksa I ever had, but this was more than acceptable.  Prawns had a sweet snap and even the egg wasn't overcooked.

Another soup noodle was the Tom Yum, which we also go with prawns.  Hidden within the fragrant broth, we found a wealth of al dente rice noodles.  It has partially soaked up the tangy and briny broth that had the brightness of lemongrass, lime leaves and galangal.  I could also get the fish sauce with its salty brininess.  Nice tang from the tomatoes too.  Again, not the best Tom Yum out there, but a very competent one.

Onto the Pad Thai, we also got this with prawns and it came with the usual bean sprouts, crushed peanuts and wedge of lime.  Even though it was stir-fried beautifully with some smokiness and caramelization from the high wok heat, I wasn't a fan of this dish.  It tasted ketchupy and one note.  I can see how some would like this flavour profile as it can be found extensively in North America.  But I really enjoy a tamarind-forward version more with caramelized palm sugar.

Now the Pad See Ew was considerably better.  It consisted of narrow rice noodles instead of the usual wide ones.  In this case, it worked well as it took on the caramelization and had sweet smokiness.  We got this with sliced beef and it was decently tender, if not a touch dry.  The veggies were cooked through but still had a nice crunch.  Overall, this was a good dish and I wouldn't have a problem ordering it again.

Another dish that had some great wok hei was the Mongolian Stir-Fry.  We got this with tofu and there was some pretty good caramelization and aroma.  All the veggies were cooked through, but still had an appealing crunch.  With the sweet and savory sauce, there was more than enough to enhance the natural sweetness of the veggies.  The smokiness of the stir-fry and intense sweetness of the palm sugar made for a nice compliment to the white rice.

We also got the Pineapple Fried Rice with chicken and it exhibited the same good wok hei as the rest of the dishes.  Each grain of rice was discernible and dry (in a good way).  There was some smokiness and nuttiness to compliment the sweetness of the pineapple.  There was also sufficient salt added so that the dish wasn't lacking seasoning. Love the ample amount of fried egg nestled within the rice.  It was so fluffy and well-seared.  

For our curry selection, we had the Penang Curry with prawns.  I would've preferred for the curry to be in a bowl next to rice rather than all on the plate.  Despite this, I found the curry to be sweet, aromatic and a bit spicy.  Once again, we found hits of lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, coconut milk and fish sauce.  Very competent curry given the quick service concept.   Overall, the food at Rice & Noodle is more than acceptable and in fact, quite flavourful with wok caramelization.  Of course prices are reasonable and dishes come out quick.

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

The Good:

- Flavourful

- Proper wok hei

- Well-priced for what you get

The Bad:

- Not a fan of the Pad Thai flavour

Burger Crush

Haven't been back to Burger Crush in awhile.  Last time, I went with my son and he thoroughly enjoyed his burger.  It isn't exactly In-N-Out, but it has those sort of vibes, right down to the fries.  Originally out of Victoria, Burger Crush strives to give the classic burger joint experience.  So it is not surprising to find a very simple menu with essentially 2 burgers in several different configurations.  They have both vegan and vegetarian options including vegan nuggets.  Jackie and returned for a tasting of the menu including their fantastic shakes.

So getting right to it, let's talk about the classic Cheeseburger first.  We had it both in a single and a double.  We also loaded it up with fried mushrooms, fried onions, peperoncini and Canadian cheddar ($2.00 each).  The burgers already had a 4oz patty (2 of them for the double), cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and crush sauce.   As I've said, their burgers definitely have an In-N-Out quality to them except the meat patties are double the size and the bun is softer.  I really enjoy the burgers here since they are moist and properly seared.  Also, the components are fresh.  Those mushrooms are totally worth the $2.00 as they are buttery and full of umami.

Burger Crush not only appeals to beef lovers, they have both Vegetarian and Vegan options as well.  That burger sports the same house-made vegan patty except with vegan cheese and vegan bun for the Vegan while cheddar and brioche for the Vegetarian.  We loaded both of them with the optional toppings as well.  Although the patty was on the softer side, I didn't mind it had a crispy exterior and did have a mild sweet taste.

The only option for sides included French Fries and Crush Fries.  I like the fries here as they are quite thin and pretty crispy.  They are also salted enough.  With the same fries, the Crush Fries also have In-N-Out vibes with fried onions, melted cheese and Crush sauce.  These "dirty" fries are super saucy, yet at the same time, retain much of their crispiness.  The best part is the fried onions as they add aroma and sweetness.  This is also available with vegan cheese instead.

In addition to the burger and fries, they also offer Vegan Nuggets made with firm tofu.  Personally, I think a lighter tofu would make this item better.  The crunch from the batter is quite nice as it is not too thick nor greasy.  However, the firm tofu eats pretty heavy and dense.  The available sauces include Herb Crush Hot Crush, Sweet Crush and Original Crush.  For me, the herb crust is my favourite being creamy and almost tartar sauce-like.  The hot crush is a close second because I just like it spicy.

So we need some beverages to go with our burgers right?  In addition to sodas, they have both Milk and Vegan Shakes.  Here are some of the highlights including Root Beer, Strawberry (Vegan), Chocolate (Vegan) and Orange.  Despite being vegan, the strawberry was my favourite.  It was fruity and sweet while tasting fairly natural.  Orange was also sweet but refreshing at the same time.  Overall, the best things at Burger Crush are their beef burgers, their regular fries and shakes.  If you get those items, you will go away a very happy and full person.  For the other things, YMMV.

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

The Good:

- Beef burgers are excellent

- Fries are crispy

- Shakes (milk or vegan) are also good

The Bad:

- Tofu nuggets are too dense for me

OZen Japanese Restaurant

Typically, when we want good value sushi (that is actually decent), we look at places such as Sushi Garden or Sushi Town.   Sure, there are others, but I won't list them all here.  However, as much as the 2 aforementioned spots are acceptable for casual eats, there are limitations as to how satisfied you will be.  What I mean by that is that their menu is fairly basic with not a lot of unique dishes.  I'm not going to get into the argument about them not being Japanese-run because I don't care who makes my food, as long as it is prepared properly.  This brings us to OZen Japanese located in the T&T shopping complex on 152nd.  Taking over from Maguro, they offer large portions of well-made dishes that are reasonably-priced.

Before we got to the larger plates, we started with the Assorted Tempura.  Now this was a pretty large portion despite not being a main.  It consisted of 4 ebi, 2 yam and 1 piece each of sweet potato, kaboucha and asparagus.  The batter was relatively light while being crispy on the outside.  It was easy on the greasiness, even after biting into each item.  The ebi was buttery and sweet with a slight snap.  The other items were fully cooked while not being mushy.

We had something a bit different in the Deep Fried Sablefish Collar.  Now I've had kama many times before, but not battered and deep fried like this.  Personally, I enjoy grilled kama, but this was still good.  Due to the fact it was fatty sablefish and also that the batter locked in the moisture, the meat was super juicy and buttery.   It was also well-seasoned, only needing a squeeze from that lemon for acidity.

Neatly arranged on a sushi boat, we had the Assorted Sashimi.  This was plenty appetizing to look at with fresh slices of fish.  Colour and sheen were appealing with the hamachi being the best of the bunch.  It was super buttery with a natural sweetness with a taste of the sea.  We also found tuna, red tuna, Atlantic salmon, hokkigai, saba and tako as well.  As much as Atlantic salmon gets a bad rap, I liked this one as it was soft and fatty.

We didn't end there with the raw stuff as we also added the Deluxe Nigiri Combo consisting of Atlantic salmon, tuna, ebi, tamago, sockeye salmon, hamachi tako, unagi, ika, chopped scallop and ikura.  Much like the sashimi, the fish was fresh and visually-appealing.  They ate well too, with once again, the hamachi being the highlight.  But the salmon (both kinds) were good too as well as the tamago.  It was fluffy and layered properly.

For our one specialty roll, we selected the Aburi Popping Roll consisting of a imitation crab, cucumber and aburi salmon inside with aburi sauce, tobiko and jalapeno on the outside.  I found this quite pleasant with chewy sushi rice (that was also not laid on too thick) encasing soft salmon and creamy imitation crab mix.  The aburi sauce on the outside was creamy with a bit of a tang.  Since it was torched, it was caramelized with some smokiness.

On the topic of aburi sushi, we went for both the Aburi Saba and Aburi Salmon Oshi.  As you can see, the torching was evenly distributed.  Hence, we got the smokiness right off the bat with each bite.  The creaminess of the mayo-based sauce complimented the fish.  About that fish, the slice of saba and salmon was thick enough for impact.  Really liked the flavour of the saba as it was richer than the salmon.  I thought the jalapeno pepper slice could've been thinner though.

Now the best things to order here are actually "Sets".  For their Unagi Donburi Set, you can see that they include a considerable amount of food.  For $34.40, you get a large bowl of chewy rice topped with buttery slices of sauced unagi.  Then you also receive salad, miso soup, agedashi tofu, karaage, chawanmushi tsukemono and daily dish (this one was aburi oshi).  The unagi was buttery and soft with enough glaze to help flavour the rice.  Side dishes were solid where the karaage was juicy with crispy rendered skin.

We also ordered the Grilled Gindara Kama Set consisting of salad, miso soup, karaage, agedashi tofu, chawanmushi, onigiri and aburi oshi.  So I got my wish for grilled sablefish collar and it was fantastic.  Nicely marinated, these were buttery and flavourful with smokiness and caramelizatoin.  Sides were essentially same as the other set.  Overall, the food at OZen is above average and well-portioned.  Prices are reasonable for what you get too.

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

The Good:

- Above average eats

- Large portions

- Good value

The Bad:

- Super busy, prepare to wait