Sherman's Food Adventures: September 2010

Alibi Room

Sunday hockey. Why did I sign up for this? Like I'm deprived of sleep enough already! Now I have to wake up early on a Sunday morning and drag my sorry ass to the ice rink. And it's summer (when I wrote this) too! Oh right, it's something called exercise and that is important for my health. Wait... Oh I remember, I know why I look forward to it every week. We go eat afterwards! Much like my other team sports, it is the perfect opportunity to hold a whole bunch of people hostage and drag them on my food adventures! Yah, I'll admit it, they are merely pawns in my sinister plan to eat my way through Vancouver. With that in mind, I merrily wake up early this Sunday and head over to the rink.

It's funny how both JuJu and RBC are completely at a loss when I can't make some games. I told them they could easily go eat without me; but for some reason or another, they prefer to have my DSLR pointed at their food. So the first thing that rolls off their tongues when I walk into the change room is: "Where are we eating today???". Interesting, they are becoming more and more like me every time. Maybe I have the power of mind-control? Nah... Really, where were we gonna eat today? I really didn't put too much thought into it to tell you the truth. Therefore, the one place that came into mind was the Alibi Room. You see, we were at Deacon's Corner the previous time, right across from the Alibi Room. So, much like last time, RBC decided to order a barley sandwich to go with his brunch. I had a much better idea, we ended up splitting the Frat Bat instead. It's a beer tasting of sorts, where you choose any 4 for $9.00. He had the Salmon Benny as his real food item. Curiously, one egg was perfectly runny, while one was almost fully cooked. Despite that, it was a solid benny with dill cream cheese, red onion, salmon and capers.

I went for the Corned Beef Hash since RBC had the eggs benny. No duplicates! Portion wise, it was pretty modest; but whatever it gave up in size, it made up with flavour. The potatoes were very well-spiced and the mix of soft cubes of corned beef, wilted spinach and red peppers was good. 2 perfectly poached eggs topped it off with a mild tasting Hollandaise. JuJu decided on the Huevos Racheros and it came nicely presented. I took a sample and I really liked the crispy tortillas. In terms of flavour, it was very mild. In fact, JuJu need to use copious amounts of Tobasco. Hmm... Tobasco and beans. I'm glad we were parting ways after the meal. Overall, the brunch was quite pleasant with a casual, lazy ambiance. Prices were on the higher side considering the portion size. Generally, the Alibi Room is more known for its late-night and dinner. So we weren't expecting much out of the brunch. It was decent; but for brunch, I personally prefer walking a block & a half up to Two Chefs & a Table instead, the food is better and costs less.

The Good:
- Casual, cool ambiance
- Decent brunch
- Love the beer selection

The Bad:
- Pricey compared to nearby joints
- Smallish portion sizes

Alibi Room on Urbanspoon

Potato Champion

When we try to associate a food that really screams out "Canada", we often get maple syrup, salmon and to stretch it, beer. Yet, probably the one thing that is purely Canadian is Poutine. You know, crispy fries topped with cheese curds and doused with an obscene amount of powdered gravy. Specifically out of Quebec, this heart-attack on a plate is best when all of the correct components are there and of course, prepared the right way. There are many different variations to be found; but the classic is what it's all about. So imagine my curiosity when I heard that a food cart served this dish in... Portland!

Claiming to be Belgian-style Fries, I had to first try their fries with a side of chipotle mayo. In true form of double-fried fries, these were very crispy with a little bit of starchiness. We really enjoyed the mayo, it was very flavourful and spicier than others we had. The fries were so crispy, even my son had some... Imagine that, a kid that doesn't like fries... So now onto the star of the show - the Poutine. I'm so sorry to disappoint everyone; but this was a complete fail. Sure, the fries were great; but the gravy... bleck! Being an onion-based gravy with lots of pepper, it was much too strong tasting and tart/sour. Furthermore, the cheese curds were complete un-melted and gummy. Not the texture I was expecting. I know it is unfair to compare with poutine that we can get in Canada; but honestly, I have nothing to compare it with because it is rare to find it in the States in general. As for the fries, they are good and I would happily eat them again. I'll just get my poutine in Canada.

The Good:
- Crispy fries
- Inexpensive
- Good selection of dips

The Bad:
- Poutine is no good, even for Portland

Potato Champion (Food Cart) on Urbanspoon

Sushi Garden (Lougheed)

Talk about 2 extremes. Not far removed from the most expensive meal I've ever had at Tojo's, I find myself at the Lougheed location of Sushi Garden. Famous for their large portions at reasonable prices, this is definitely quantity over quality. Sure, it ain't Japanese-run, the food isn't exactly made carefully and the service is spotty; but for the prices, we do have to make compromises. A long time ago, Snake had introduced us to the original location on Kingsway across from Metrotown. Back then, Sushi Garden was only a small one storefront operation. Once they expanded into the next store, everything seemed to be more mass produced and hurried. Yet, I totally get it. Low prices + large quantities = lots of customers; hence quick turnover = more profits.

Replacing a former computer bookstore (I have no idea how it stayed in business for that long), the new Sushi Garden has a nice decor and pretty decent washrooms. It's really too bad that the floor looks like the aftermath of a Peter North flick. They really need to clean it! My sandals kept sticking to the tiles... ewww... Now, one of the biggest complaints about Sushi Garden is the service, or the lack of. It wasn't very busy, so for us, the service was quite friendly. However, it was still quite sparse for some apparent reason. I guess that is one thing consistent with both locations. Once again, for the prices and quantities, we must make compromises... Oh, and another compromise at this location specifically is the lack of parking spots. The main parking lot is mainly used by Staples (with more on the upper level). So there are very few spots left for Sushi Garden and Church's Fried Chicken. We were lucky to get a parking spot since it was later in the afternoon. That probably helped us avoid lining up too, as we got a table immediately. I liked how the wood banquettes looked; but honestly, provide some cushions.

We started out with some of their reasonably-priced Nigiri (Hotate, Unagi & Inari). As you can see in the picture, the portion size is large. Nothing remarkable about the nigiri while at the same time, it was solid. The sushi rice could've been better, it was dry and bland. With the same sushi rice and lacking care in its preparation, the Scallop & Tobiko Roll was okay. Same could be said about the House Roll. It was definitely huge and a good value; but little else. Rather than the usual sashimi, we got the Spicy Salmon. We liked how it was a bit sweet and spicy while not being drenched in sauce. We could still taste the salmon, which was actually pretty good. Nice crunch from the bits of cucumber too. Oh, isn't that the biggest clump of ginger you've ever seen???

Since the whole family was out today, it can only mean one thing - Tempura Udon. This is one of the few items they are willing to eat at a Japanese restaurant. The udon itself was nicely cooked with a chewy texture. The broth was weak, only exhibiting sweetness and very little else. The accompanying Tempura was not very good. With too much batter that was slightly undercooked, we didn't enjoy it so much. In fact, there was uncooked batter in a few pieces. Confusingly, the last item to arrive was the Seafood Salad (and it arrived very much later). Looks like they wanted to mass produce it since 4 orders hit the dining room at the same time. Well, that would be one reason they can charge these prices - efficiency. For the price, this was a pretty big salad with pieces of tako, salmon, tuna, ebi and imitation crab on top of a bed of iceberg lettuce. A large bowl of dressing was served on the side.

I have to admit the meal was mostly decent. Considering the portion size and low prices, there is not much to complain about, even though some of the stuff was average to below-average. The bustling sushi bar cranks out an amazing amount of food in a short amount of time. Thus, quality suffers. However, Sushi Garden, much like Sushi Town and Samurai Sushi are not about being intricate and careful. Rather, their popularity rests on being efficient, high-turnover and good value. If this is what you want, then you'll be very satisfied. If you want something with higher quality that is made with care, this is not your place.

The Good:
- Low prices
- Large portions
- Food is not bad

The Bad:
- Service is sparse
- Food is not made with care
- It'll never be confused with good Japanese food

Sushi Garden (Lougheed) on Urbanspoon

Pine State Biscuits

For some apparent reason, I was not aware that Pine State Biscuits was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Normally, I'm all over these types of places since I do enjoy watching the show. Of course, not all the places featured are that appealing to me and in fact, some just seem downright awful. I had already pegged PSB as an eating destination since it seemed like a quick meal and something that the kiddies would enjoy munching on. It was somewhat along the way for us en route to Woodburn and a day of outlet shopping. Wait, scratch that... A day for Viv to do some shopping. I was merely a bystander. So as we rolled up to PSB, I noticed quite a few people congregating at the entrance. Soon after we lined up, 10 other people appeared behind us. Seating is at a premium, so it's best to do takeout.

Although there are a decent amount of choices on the menu, I only had one thing on my mind - The Reggie. A heart-stopping combination of fried chicken, bacon, cheese and country gravy all lovingly caressed by a flaky biscuit. I added a fried egg just to make it complete. I think this one item satisfied my caloric, fat and salt intake for the day. Oh, but it was well worth it. If I can quote Guy Fieri, "That's Money!" Look at the thing. Look at it! Isn't is a thing of beauty? The piece of fried chicken was not too dry and the crisp coating had a good amount of spice and flavour. You can't go wrong with bacon, egg and cheese, as well as the tasty and sinful gravy with bits of sausage. The biscuit was not light; but buttery, just the way I like it. I would eat this over and over again if my body could take it. Viv is not really into the country gravy thing, something to do with the lard... Wimp! So she opted for the Ham, Egg & Cheese Biscuit. Admittedly, she isn't the biggest fan of biscuits so she was not as enthused as I was. She thought that the country ham was too salty. But that is how it's supposed to be and when eaten with the rest of the components, it provided the necessary flavour. The rest of the ingredients are mild, so the extra salt is not overwhelming. If you notice from the picture, the fried egg has a perfectly runny yolk.

For the kiddies, they shared a Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit. The sausage in this thing was very thick and meaty. It was more like a burger patty than anything else. Nicely spiced and served in the same fabulous biscuit, the kids didn't eat any of it. LOL. Not that it wasn't good, they just weren't in the mood I suppose.
So I gotta admit that Guy Fieri was right about this one. PSB serves up some pretty mean biscuits with killer fixin's. The Reggie is a must-try, even if you doctor told you not to. Just eat salad for a week before and after.

The Good:
- Case of do one thing and do it right
- Nothing really like it (McD's doesn't count)
- Everything is freshly made

The Bad:
- Heart-attack food
- Nowhere to really sit

Pine State Biscuits on Urbanspoon

Whiffies Fried Pies

If splitting an 18" pizza at Apizza Scholls wasn't enough, Viv and I headed down to Hawthorne and 12th for some food cart action. Unlike Vancouver, B.C., Portland embraces the street food concept. Yes, Vancouver is experimenting with food carts; but it has a long way to go. The one place we wanted to visit was Whiffies Fried Pies. Hey, not since the days of fried apple pies at McD's have I had one of these. Of course we'd get an Apple Pie just of ol' times sake. Since they fry 'em to order, it took a little while; yet it was oh-so-worth-it. With a filling reminiscent of McD's and a very flaky crust, the apple pie was awesome. My daughter practically ate all of it. My son... nada... It may look like a Pizza Pop, but the crust is very light and easy to eat. Either I was in denial or something; but it didn't seem oily at all. I'm sure that was an illusion, it's fried dough after all!

Like I needed anymore food, I decided to try out the Chicken Pot Pie as well. Sounded good in theory. It was like eating a pot pie with flaky pastry. There wasn't much in the way of chicken, although the few pieces in there were tender. The filling was floury thick; yet that is probably intentional to make sure it doesn't all spill out. Texture aside, the filling was conservatively seasoned, it could've been more savoury. Originally, when I brought the pies back to share with Viv, she was wondering why I had only ordered 2. Uh, cuz we were full from dinner? You see, she was expecting the BBQ Beef and Mozza Pie. We spotted someone having one and it sure looked good with cheese oozing out. Well, the very next day, we visited the food carts again and got the BBQ beef pie (and a Berry Pie as well). Okay, this is a case of something sounding and looking better than it tasted. Don't get me wrong, the fried pie was still good. However, the BBQ beef was laced with a tomato paste sauce that was weak and lacked depth. If it had been a smokier, richer BBQ sauce, this would've rocked. Still the great flaky pastry and melted mozza helped make this still very decent. Hey, not the healthiest way to eat; but I gotta say these pies hit the spot, especially the dessert ones. Really good fair food which is available year round. I'm glad that it is over 650km away for me. Otherwise, my stomach would start looking like a pie...

The Good:
- Nice flaky, non-oily pastry
- Great grab 'n go food
- Interesting fillings

The Bad:
- The savoury fillings need a little work flavourwise
- Healthy eating? Nope

Whiffies Fried Pies (Food Cart) on Urbanspoon

Cool Moon

While we were watching the kiddies get all wet in their street clothes at the wading pool, I noticed Cool Moon nearby. Ah yes, we wanted to try this out last year. Too bad we were so overstuffed with eating. No room for it! This time around, since we were eating nearby at Piazza Italia, I made it a priority to give it a shot. After all, it was a steaming hot day, perfect for ice cream. What started off as a simple walk from dinner to get ice cream became a gong show. Once we reached Cool Moon, my daughter needed to do washroom #2. With no washroom in sight, it meant that we had to find one somewhere else. Ugh. Viv had to take her back to Piazza Italia for that. While she did that, I went about ordering my ice cream. Lots of interesting flavours. I finally settled on Thai Chili and Ginger Cookies 'n Cream. Viv thought I was nuts to pick those.

My son wanted no part in the ice cream, so it further encouraged me to try something different. A kid who doesn't want ice cream... Geez... Maybe I should've tried him with the Thai Chili? No, that would've scarred him for life. Anyways, I really liked the Thai Chili, it was spicy, sweet and nutty. Hey, like eating Thai food, except cold creamy Thai food! The other flavour, Ginger Cookies 'n Cream was also very good. I found the ginger to be a good contrast to the sweet ice cream (wasn't too sweet though). The ample nuggets of cookie were a real treat. From this one cup, I could tell that the ice cream is definitely smooth and made with care. I ended up dusting off the ice cream all-by-myself. When I met up with Viv later, she was wondering where all the ice cream went. By her initial reaction of the flavours I had chosen, I assumed she didn't want any. How wrong I was. I don't suppose they make Doghouse ice cream do they?

The Good:
- Interesting flavours
- Smooth and not too sweet
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Limited selection of flavours (but that is a good thing too)
- Not much in the way of seating

Cool Moon Ice Cream on Urbanspoon

Roaming Dragon @ PNE

Arriving back from Portland the night before near midnight, we had planned a day at the PNE. Poor planning on our part. Barely waking up in time to make it for the 11:00am opening time, we ended up parking quite far away. Not a really big deal unless you consider the fact I had forgotten my camera in the car. I had to run back to get it and catch up with Viv and the kids. I did so with considerable amount of effort. Sweating and hungry, I had to take my son on enough rides to make up for the all-day ride pass we had purchased. By then, it was well past lunch and considering the fact I hadn't eaten breakfast, I was on the verge of eating the first thing I saw. I resisted the urge and decided to try something different - The Roaming Dragon.

Once again, the dirty "F" word rears its ugly head again. No, no, not that F word. Rather, what we are talking about is Fusion. You know, take one cuisine and do an interpretation of it. Or in really bad cases, merely an excuse for bad food. So we ended up going for all 3 offerings starting with the Pork Belly Sliders. With a fatty and tender piece of pork belly, hoisin sauce, pickled cucumber and scallions served in a steamed mantou (seems like the new trendy bread), the slider looked promising. In actuality, it was good with one slight problem. I liked the soft sweet mantou contrasting the savouriness of the pork belly. However, the liberal use hoisin sauce overwhelmed everything else including the cucumber. Personally, I find far too many places using hoisin sauce as an "Asian" flavouring agent (like Terracotta).

As for the Korean Tacos with shortrib, sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, spinach and carrots encased in a nori/tortilla combo with kimchi dressing, I found them to be only okay. They weren't terrible, but the flavours were muddled. I couldn't get any kimchi flavour or much of anything else really. And for me, the thing was too wet. Finally, the Asian-Spiced Fries with curry mayo was decent from a taste perspective. Lots of flavour with a hint of curry. I wasn't a huge fan of the fries themselves. Yes they were crispy; but they were generic-like. Would've liked to see some creativity like thick-cut potato chips or Belgian-style fries. There is certainly potential here. Good ideas that need some tweaking. In terms of pricing, the regular prices are $6.00 for 2 sliders or 2 tacos and $10.00 for both. Not exactly cheap; but completely in line with other street food offerings in Vancouver.

The Good:
- Dares to be creative and different
- Some good ideas

The Bad:
- Some tweaks are needed, flavour profile a bit off
- Not exactly cheap; but then again, no Vancouver street food is

Roaming Dragon Food Truck on Urbanspoon

Apizza Scholls

Among many, there is much respect for Anthony Bourdain. And why not? He speaks his mind and is willing to try almost anything. In fact, I have his book on my coffee table for all to see. So when No Reservations hit Portland, in particular Apizza Scholls, I knew that it would be a must try. However, for one reason or another, Viv and I did not make it out there last summer. This time around, I wasn't going to let it slip through my fingers. Even though we had kids in tow and another possible lineup staring us in the face, we were determined. Almost every place we've hit so far has resulted in a wait of some sort. And I hate lineups! To make sure we didn't do the "wait for the first seating to finish" scenario from happening again (at Screen Door and Saburo's), we arrived at Apizza Scholls at 4:50pm. We found ourselves to be 3rd in line and thus; easily got a table. In fact, everyone in line got a table and by the time we left, there was no lineup at all. Must've been a quiet night?

So why the lineup? Sure, the exposure of being on TV certainly helps. Also, the fact that they only have a limited amount of dough per night triggers the supply and demand phenomena. If there is only so much to go around, it is human nature to get in on the action before it is all gone. Being that we were only 2 people with 2 kids who don't eat a whole lot, we could only order one pizza. We did start with a Caesar Salad and anchovies. Unlike regular Caesars, the romaine was not cut up into small pieces. Rather, they were left whole and tossed with just enough dressing (fresh raw egg yolk to be exact) with plenty of shaved Parm and 4 anchovies on top. The combination of crisp hearts of romaine, a flavourful dressing, salty anchovies and Parm made for a very good salad. Viv thought it may have needed a bit more acidity in the form of lemon juice. I agree; but that did not make or break the salad, it was good anyways.

As for the pizza, we had 1/2 Pig & Pineapple and 1/2 New York White Pie (with sauce). All their pizzas come only in 18" and are NY-style thin crust. What sets they pies apart is the extremely hot oven that literally burns the crust until it blisters. If you haven't had this type of pizza before, you are missing out. The crisp, chewy, blistered crust is like no other. Very easy to eat while being unique in texture and taste. By merely picking it up, you'll get a limp center. You must do the NYC fold. The New York White Pie, consisting of mozzarella (whole milk & fresh), pecorino romano, ricotta, fresh garlic, herbs, black pepper, sea salt and EVOO, was really good. Simple; yet ultimately flavourful and delicious, it allowed the crust to be the star. The Pig & Pineapple was good too (lots of tender ham); but honestly, more toppings leads to crust degradation (in terms of moisture). We really shouldn't have gotten sauce with the NY White; however, it was just in case the kiddies wanted some of it. Simple and few toppings make for a better pizza in this case.

Usually, very few restaurants live up to the hype.
Unrealistic expectations combined with a lineup usually tempers any preconceived enthusiasm. However in this case, I thought the pizza, particularly the crust, to be one of the best I've had. Toppings were good quality and well- balance. Furthermore, the prices are quite reasonable for what you get. No disappointment here. In fact, I ate all of the crust, including the edge. That really says it all since I usually stop eating where there is no more sauce or toppings.

The Good:
- If you like thin crust, this is damn good
- Reasonably-priced
- They specialize in one thing and do it right

The Bad:
- Usually a lineup and when they run out of dough, that's it
- If you don't like thin crust or burnt anything

Apizza Scholls on Urbanspoon

Cattle Cafe (Burnaby)

What has happened to our hockey team? We were once the toast of the division, now we are just plain toast. After our 5th loss in a row, in crushing fashion (9-0), we needed to refocus. What better way to do that than to go eat? Well, at least that's what I was gonna do. Drown my sorrows in food, lots of it. Polka King was so distraught, I had to drop him at home prior to meeting up with the rest of the team to eat. Well, either that or he had more important plans. Is there a Polka Queen in the works? Hmm... Anyways, Gadget Girl and I had already settled on the restaurant of choice a few nights ago. Rather than standing in the foyer of the ice rink looking at each other in complete confusion as to where to eat, it seemed like a good idea to make plans first. Seeing how she and Mr. Blueberry had to be near the Metrotown area, Cattle Cafe came to mind. Actually, it was Snake who alerted to me this new location in the former digs of Swish Swish (and before that Death by Chocolate). Coincidentally, Jacqueline (a faithful reader) emailed me the same day alerting me of Cattle Cafe as well. Was this a sign? Well, either that or Snake has a pseudonym! You know, he does look good in pink...

As expected, there was a wait when we arrived at the place. You see, Cattle Cafe has a few things going for it. Portions are large, prices are fair and quality is decent. A pretty good recipe for success. Now a wait at this location is a bit tricky. You see, since Death by Chocolate was the original occupant of this unit, it wasn't exactly the biggest place. Furthermore, it was never meant to house a full-service kitchen. Thus, there is a very limited amount of seats. Being curved on the exterior side doesn't help the cause. Well, I guess we were lucky because it didn't take too long for our table, probably 20 minutes or so. Pretty impressive considering we had 9 people. Too bad they gave us a table that really was meant for 8. We ended up sticking Milhouse at one end of the table, with the back of his seat pushed up against the neighbouring table. Problem solved! LOL...

We took the longest time to decide what to eat since the menu is pretty extensive. Being that we were seated in time for the late night menu (starts at 9:00pm), we took advantage of it. However, Chipmunk decided to go for the full-sized version of the Pork Chop in Creamy Onion Bacon Demi-Glaze on Rice. Alright, I'm not even sure if the sauce is an actual demi-glace; but it sure tasted great. I could definitely get the saltiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the onions. Furthermore, the pork chop itself was super tender and juicy. Rollergirl (no, not Heather Graham) went for the Brisket & White Turnip Hot Pot. Looking quite pale and sliced razor thin, the brisket was bland. In fact, the whole thing was bland. I think that was the intention since there was a side of XO sauce. At least the meat was tender. Rice and 2 small dishes rounded out the meal. Emilicious ordered the same hot pot as well (gasp! duplicates!) and she struggled to finish it.

Gadget Girl and Mr. Blueberry were quite ambitious and decided on 3 dishes to share starting with the Pork Chop in Coconut & Mango Creamy Sauce with Rice (mini-meal size). Despite looking like a 2-year old plated the dish, it tasted a whole lot better than it appeared. The creamy sauce was not heavy at all exhibiting a refreshing mango flavour. The Boneless Chicken Mushrooms in Black Pepper Sauce on Rice was a stark contrast to the mango sauce. Definitely peppery with a good amount of salt, this was a bold and heavy sauce. By all accounts, the chicken was tender as well. Lastly, they shared the Basa Filet & Tofu Hot Pot. This was a complete bust. The small pieces of fish were overly battered; thus the texture suffered. The sauce was alright being your typical oyster/soy sauce blend. It was quite watery though.

Milhouse ended up with the Fish Filet in Creamy Almond Sauce on Rice. I tried some of the sauce and there was certainly a quasi-pesto thing going on with it. Milhouse and Bear seemed to have the same observation. It was a bit strange; but in the end, it worked, especially with the fish. Boss Woman took forever to decide on her order and finally settled on the Tom Yum Seafood Hot Pot. I warned her that it would be slightly spicy and indeed it was. I should've warned her that by virtue of ordering seafood, she might not get full. Too late, she complained it wasn't fulfilling. I swear she can out eat us all. Personally, I felt there was a good amount of seafood for the money.

At first, I was tempted to order one of their signature soup noodles. The method here is to choose what type of noodle, soup base and toppings to create your own personalized bowl. In the end, I went for the mini-meal Brisket & White Turnip with Rice Noodle in Soup. Being almost exactly like the hot pot, everything was just plain bland. It wasn't bad per se; but some people may want more flavour. Well, I did get extra flavour in the form of a wayward mosquito that landed smack dab in the soup. I proceeded to pick it up with my chopsticks and chuck it onto the table. I continued eating my noodles to the horror of the people around me. Hey, I'm Chinese! As if one meal wasn't enough, I actually ordered the Baked Pork Chop with Tomato Sauce on Rice. Crispy on the outside while tender and juicy on the inside, I thought the pork chops were perfect. The lack of pork fat made it even better (not that I don't like pork fat; but not in my pork chop). The sauce was a typical Hong Kong-style cafe tomato sauce. It was flavourful with some tartness.

Bear ended up with the mini-meal version of the baked pork chop, except with spaghetti instead of rice. For $2.00 less, it wasn't much smaller! I should've ordered that one instead! Most meals include coffee or tea; add $1.00 for cold drinks and $2.00 for specialty drinks. In terms of value, Cattle Cafe has that nailed down easy. Portions are fair for the price while food quality is generally quite good. That would probably explain the constant line of people waiting at the front door.

The Good:
- Fair price
- Fair portions
- Pretty good sauces (even though they don't look it)

The Bad:
- This location has a severe lack of seating
- Service is pretty basic

Cattle Cafe (Burnaby) on Urbanspoon

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