The Greek on Broadway (Social Menu)

I'm sure you remember me yammering about food prices these days in several of my posts.  Sure, there have been some pretty good deals out there including some affordable AYCE options.  However, the Social Menu at The Greek on Broadway is something else.  Everything on that menu is 40% off (until October 31st) as long as you do a social media post of some sort.  These including following The Greek on IG, posting a story, reel or static post on IG and/or an online review.  I personally love the food here and for 40% off, it is a frickin' steal!

So for only $7.80, you can order the Taramosalata that comes with grilled pita.  Of all the available dips, this is my favourite with an appetizing tanginess to go with the brininess of the cured cod roe.  This is fairly thick, but still creamy in texture.  The best part of the dish is the grilled pita.  It benefits from the charring as the smokiness and nuttiness really come through.  The bread itself is crispy on the outside while still chewy on the inside.  Really nice compliment to the dip.

Another excellent small plate that is available on the menu is the Spanakopita for $11.10.  Unlike other versions that feature little triangles of phyllo pastry stuffed with spinach and feta cheese, the one here is a long whole piece.  Therefore, we find much more filling than phyllo.  It isn't as if the phyllo isn't there though.  The thin layer is nicely browned and crispy while the ample amount of spinach is tender, yet not mushy.

Also for $11.10, the Keftedes sports 4 pork and beef meatballs sitting in a homemade tomato sauce.  These meatballs are large and features lean meat.  Hence there is a real meatiness to them.  The slight heaviness of the meatballs is completely offset by the delicious tomato sauce.  There is a certain freshness about it and the tang is perfectly balanced with the sweetness and oregano.

Now the previous 3 dishes are really good, but the one that I love the most is the Grilled Humboldt Squid for $15.00.  This large piece of squid is super tender with the perfect amount of textural bite.  It is masterfully grilled with appealing sear marks.  These are not only there for form, but they also there for function.  Caramelized smokiness abound, the squid benefits also from proper seasoning and a wealth of olive oil.  Be sure to squeeze some lemon for acidity.

One of my favourite Greek dishes is Moussaka and they do it justice here.  It is only $12.60 on the Social Menu, yet they do not skimp on the meat.  There is a thick layer of tender beef and pork within the layers of eggplant, zucchini and potatoes.  Of course, on top we find the usual creamy bechamel sauce.  Love how this layer is not too thick.  Some other versions have far too much bechamel that can also be heavy.  Not this one.  It is velvety and has the unmistakable taste of nutmeg.  That combining with the cinnamon in the meat make this the perfect fall dish.

The best value on the Social Menu must be the Souvlaki Platters for a mind-boggling $17.40!  You can choose between 4 different skewers including chicken, pork, beef (+$1.00) or prawns.  It includes all the fixins' including rice, roast potatoes, tzatziki and veggies.  All of the skewers are well-charred and seasoned.  I like the chicken and pork the most as they are tender and juicy.  The beef is a bit chewier and drier.  Prawns are excellent with a meaty snap.  Overall, the food at The Greek is solid and it is now even more appealing due to the rock-bottom pricing.  I suggest you go check it out before October 31st.

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

The Good:
- Well-prepared proteins
- Fair portion sizes
- That Social Menu (only until Oct 31st)!

The Bad:
- Currently with the Skytrain construction, you must park a bit farther away

Bouillon République

Tipped off by one of my French friends, we made a reservation for Bouillon République that was within walking distance of our hotel.  A bouillon in France is a traditional expansive restaurant that serves up French cuisine at reasonable prices.  That is exactly what Bouillon République is known for since it opened in 2021 in the former home of Chez Jenny.  After a brief wait, we were seated in a very traditional-looking dining room that was bustling with activity.

We ended up ordering a good amount of food beginning with the Eggs with Mayonnaise and Farmhouse Pâté with toast and gherkin.  I thought the eggs were quite good where the whites were not rubbery while the mayonnaise was creamy, light and well-seasoned.  The pâté was a little dense, but was definitely meaty and also well-seasoned.  We definitely got some natural pork flavour and aroma.  The toast wasn't really toasted, so it was somewhat lukewarm and bready.

We also got the Pickled Herring with French potato salad and also the classic Escargots in parsley butter.  Served cold, the pickled herring was tender and flaky with the unmistakable fishiness.  It had a good tang to it while the potatoes underneath were tender and delicate.  As for the snails, they were soft and completely seasoned by the rich seasoned butter.  Of course we dipped some bread into this.

For our mains, I went for the Boeuf Bourguignon with smoked bacon and pasta.  This was pretty good with tender nuggets of beef with a rich cooked down red wine sauce.  The sweetness of the onions were present while the meatiness of the bacon and beef came through.  Viv went for the Sea Bream Fillet atop ratatouille.  The fish itself was slightly overdone, but wasn't dry.  It was mildly-seasoned, but the tangy and sweet ratatouille added plenty of impact to the dish.

My daughter went for the 1/2 Caramelized Ham Hock & Fries.  This was quite good as the ham hock was tender and shred easily off the bone.  Naturally, it was salty with some sweetness.  The side of fries were crispy and served hot.  My son didn't stray from the usual, having the Steak Frites with a shallot sauce.  This steak was cooked to medium-rare and was somewhat chewy, but still wasn't difficult to eat.  It was nicely seared while the aroma from the shallot sauce was a good compliment.

Finally, we ended with the Chocolate Mousse and Strawberry Tart.  Similarly with all of the food we had, these desserts were solid.  The mousse was light and chocolatey while being purposefully sweet.   As for the tart, the shell was firm with an appealing crunch.  The custard was semi-sweet while the strawberries were ripe.  Overall, the food at Bouillon République wasn't amazing, but it was good.  Considering the price, it did the job and we went away happy and satisfied.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Inexpensive

- Lots of choice

The Bad:

- Don't expect the most amazing food

- Service is good, but hurried

F.N. Pasta Fresca

While we were munching on meats and cheeses at Enoteca Salumeria Lombardi, we were staring at the huge lineup at the F.N. Pasta Fresca kitty corner in the Mercato Centrale in Florence.  That really piqued my interest and I vowed to return to try it.  After touring the Uffizi Gallery in the morning, we made our way back to the market and lined up for fresh pasta at only 6 Euros each.  You pick your pasta and your sauce and it is made freshly in their small kitchen. Sure, there isn't really anywhere to eat this other than some counter seating or if you brought it upstairs to the food court.  Fortunately, we were staying nearby and merely brought it back to our apartment.

I decided to get the chef's recommendation in the Ravioli al Limone with olio e parmigiano.  This was really good featuring big raviolis stuffed with ricotta cheese and lemon.  I found that the lemon really came through in an aromatic sense rather than being tangy.  The pasta itself was firmly al dente and held up even with the short walk back to the apartment.  Dressed merely in olive oil and parmesan, the flavours were nutty and slightly salty.  But not strong enough to take away from the subtlties of the pasta.

While in line, I noticed someone scoffing down some Spaghetti alla Chitarra with ragu di cinghiale.  I found this to be appealingly firm which was partially due to the perfect preparation but also the squared cross section rather than being round.  This robust texture went well with the wild boar ragu.  The ragu itself was rich and thick with the deep flavours of the meat and fat coming through.  It was a bit salty, yet at the same time that helped flavour the firm pasta.

The biggest portion of pasta happened to be the Gnocchi with ragu bolognese.  Honestly, for 6 Euros, this would definitely fill someone up.  Beyond the value, this was also delicious with the gnocchi being tender with a bite.  This was even better than the one we had in Rome on our first night (at a restaurant).  As for the ragu, it was plenty meaty with lots of body and natural flavours from the meat and tomatoes.  This was a less creamy bolognese and was much tangier.  This was also a touch salty.

Our last pasta was the Fagottini di Carne with pomodoro.  This was a good pairing of pasta and sauce since the meat-filled pasta was already robust and meaty.  The light pomodoro with plenty of fresh tomatoes acted as a counter-balance provided a lighter and brighter finish.  The pasta itself was thin and al dente while being delicate.  We felt that the pasta at F.N. Pasta Fresca to be more than acceptable given the price point.  Compared to the pasta I had at the Mercato Centrale in Rome, this was light-years ahead in quality and execution (comparing apples to apples).  Would gladly eat again if I was back in Florence.

The Good:

- Cheap

- Well-prepared

- More than acceptable given the price and venue

The Bad:

- A bit salty

- Long line (but moves)

I Porci Comodi

So for those who aren't aware, the month of August is when many businesses in Europe, including restaurants, close up shop and go on vacation.  Great for them, but when we are looking for places to eat, it complicates things.  This is especially frustrating when they do not post anywhere online that they are closed and also when Google doesn't have the updated information.  This was the case when we were roaming the streets of Pisa in search for lunch.  We finally settled on sandwiches (again) since I Porci Comodi was open and we were done walking around.

Turned out to be a blessing in disguise as this worked out to be a cheap lunch as well as being tasty.  For my sammie, I selected the 18 and I'm Happy Please consisting of thinly-sliced porchetta, eggplant, green sauce and EVOO.  Similarly to the sandwich we had in Florence, the bread was crunchy and firm.  It did hold up to the ingredients quite well.  The fatty pork was super tender and aromatic.  Green sauce was bright with herbs while the eggplant provided some moisture.

Viv decided on vegetarian with Corinna's Sandwich with fresh tomato, eggplant, stracchino, green sauce and EVOO.  Naturally, without meat in this sammie, the whole thing depended on the cheese to provide some body.  That it did with a creamy freshness and plenty of moisture.  Tomatoes were indeed fresh and flavourful while the eggplant was "meaty" in texture.  With the same green sauce, the sammie was bright and flavourful.

My son had the Prosciutto Crudo Toscano with aged pecorino cheese and truffle sauce.  Once again, the sauce made all the difference as it provided moisture as well as plenty of earthiness and creaminess.  The prosciutto was at its salty best and offering a chewy meatiness.  Let's not forget about the thick slices of cheese as they were pungent with salty nuttiness.

Staying with the same theme, my daugther had the Prosciutto Crudo Toscana with aged pecorino cheese, honey, walnuts and EVOO.  As expected, the honey was the perfect foil for the salty prosciutto.  This sammie had the salty sweet thing going on and due to the addition of walnuts, it also had crunch and nuttiness.  Of course the cheese provided another layer of salty nuttiness as well.  In the end, we were just happy to have some food in our tummies after walking around for awhile.  We enjoyed the sammies, but thought the ones in Florence were a bit better.  But overall, solid and inexpensive.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Nice flavour combos

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Would've liked just a bit more meat in the sammies

Hua Wei Ju

I know what you are going to say... "Nooooooo!!!!!"  Yes, we did it and knew we were going to regret the decision.  But after consecutive meals with pizza and/or pasta, we had to do something different.  Yah I know, we are from Vancouver, where we find some of the best, if not the best, Chinese food on the planet.  Why the bleep were we eating this in Rome?  Well, maybe we could've been more creative, yet this is what we ate and we had to live with it.  There are a few attractive things about Hua Wei Ju, including its location (since it was close to us) and its pricing.  However, most dishes were rather small.

We began with the Beef with Broccoli that really lived up to its namesake because it was more beef than broccoli.  However, the beef was not very good as it had not been tenderized and marinated enough.  This resulted in spongy and chewy slices of thick beef.  Flavour wasn't half bad though.  As for the broccoli, it was still crunchy while cooked through.  Not enough wok hei (a really hot wok) as there was quite a bit of moisture at the bottom of the plate.

Next dish was the Aroma Duck which was a marinated duck that had been deep fried and served with a vinegar sauce.  Was it aromatic?  Yes it was as the deep fry did afford aroma as well as the 5-spice.  Yet, it was fried a bit too long as the outside got rather hard and dry.  The benefit of that was crispy well-rendered skin.  The meat underneath this dry layer was decently moist and tender though.

We also got the Tofu with chicken, shrimp, pork, carrots, bamboo and mushrooms served in a hot pot.  We found this portion to be rather small, but it was one of the better dishes.  Although broken, the tofu was tender while completely soaking up the oyster sauce.  The shredded chicken and pork were tender and well-seasoned.  Veggies were cooked properly and not mushy.  Shrimp was on point too with a meaty snap.

The Deep Fried Chicken Wings were not what we expected as they were coated in far too much batter.  Furthermore, the batter was too light in colour as it looked like it as undercooked.  It was cooked through though while there was a light crunch.  The chicken wings were fairly juicy but a bit bland.  The skin was not rendered due to the amount of batter and possibly not an aggressive enough deep fry.

One of the worst dishes was the Sweet & Sour Pork as there was very little flavour to the dish.  It was neither sweet nor sour, which was a really bad thing since that would be the selling point of this dish.  Also, the pieces of pork had a strange aftertaste.  Not sure what it was...  Texturally, the pork was fine though being tender with some meatiness.  Also, there wasn't an overload of sauce either.

We got 2 starches including the Special Rice with shrimp, chicken, pork and egg.  Again, this was rather small, but to be fair, cost only 5 Euros.  I found the rice to be dry enough, but again, didn't exhibit any true wok hei.  Hence it was a bit lifeless and lacking in caramelization.  With that being said, it wasn't bad though as it had enough ingredients and the seasoning was sufficient.

I thought the Rice Noodles with chicken was far better as the noodles were al dente and had good seasoning.  The veggies were crisp and provided great texture while the chicken was tender and also seasoned.  The only thing I didn't like was the greasiness at the bottom of the plate.  So as you can tell, the food at Hua Wei Ju is rather mediocre at best.  However, it was fairly cheap.  I wouldn't recommend the place to those picky about their Chinese food (particularly Cantonese in this case), but for people wanting something inexpensive, this is your restaurant.

The Good:

- Cheap

- Wide variety of dishes

The Bad:

- Food is meh (if you know Chinese food)

Szechuan Delicious

Quite awhile ago, I had visited the original location of Szechuan Delicious out on #3 Road across from Richmond Centre.  I remember vividly the excellent Szechuan Boiled Fish and looked forward to having it again.  Well, I never made it back out there.  In fact, they have already relocated to the former Shanghai Morning spot right next to Claypot Hot Pot & BBQ.  Considering the high price of eating out these days, it was a complete shock to see rock-bottom prices on their menu.

Their Szechuan Boiled Fish was only $19.95 and the portion size was quite generous.  This was very good with tender slices of what I figured was ling cod in a mildly spicy oil broth.  There was a touch of smokiness accented by numbing heat of the Szechuan peppercorns.  As hot as the dried red chilis appeared, we all know they are not really that spicy.  Underneath, there was some bean sprouts, but really, this was mostly fish.

Another classic Szechuan dish is the Mouth-Watering Chicken.  Yes, that is a literal translation of the dish.  This was also quite good with tender pieces of chicken.  They used dark meat pieces with nicely gelatinized skin.  As for the mix of chili oil, black vinegar and soy, it was balanced where the spice was not overpowering where the rest of the flavours came through.  Of course there was some numbing from the peppercorns and nuttiness from the sesame seeds.

Another typical dish at any Szechuan restaurant is the Deep Fried Chicken with Dry Chili Peppers (aka Mala Chicken).  Again, do not assume this dish is super spicy due to the peppers.  There is a kick for sure, but the numbing of the peppercorns are more impactful than the dry chilis.  In this version, I found it a bit underseasoned, while the dish was a bit of earthy due to the cumin.  I found the pieces of chicken a bit dry as well (drier than usual).

We got a couple of noodle dishes starting with the Tan Tan Noodle.  So judging by the picture, this didn't look like much, but it ate a lot better than its appearance.  There was a good sauce-to-noodle ratio.  The noodle itself was al dente but soft enough to chew.  It was clumpy, but of course, after mixing it with the sauce, it was slippery.  As for the sauce, it was nutty and aromatic.  There was a medium spice level and it had enough savouriness accented by sweetness.

The other noodle dish was the Spicy Cold Noodle.  Naturally, this had a similar flavour profile to the mouth-watering chicken except we thought that there was more vinegar.  Hence, this was tangier and ate somewhat lighter due to this.  Again, there was a certain smoky chili oil background flavour to go with the savouriness and slight sweetness.  The noodles were cold enough and had a nice chew to them.

We decided to get some veggies for our last dish which was the Cabbage with Chili Peppers.  Yes, this was a humble dish, but done right.  The cabbage was cooked through, yet still had a nice crunch to it.  It was mildly seasoned where it wasn't too salty nor sweet, but some spice did come through.  Overall, the food at Szechuan Delicious is solid and shockingly low-priced.  Considering the food quality as well as the decent portion sizes, I would say this is a top choice for cheap eats in the city.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Low prices

- Fair portion sizes

The Bad:

- Places is a bit run-down

- Note: cash only

Joe's Grill

For all the unique and fancy eats that are available in Vancity, we often forget about the basics.  Yes, lost amongst the poke bowls and Downtown brunch spots, there are little diners that dish up your typical greasy spoon breakfast.  One of the more well-known joints is Joe's Grill sporting 4 locations in Vancouver.  I frequented the West 4th location when it was still open where I could get a filling, well-made breakfast for pocket change.  So when we made our way to the Drive after Sunday morning hockey at Britannia, I was surprised to see a location right across the street.  Going down memory lane, we went basic with Joe's Grill.

Since the seating was at a premium, we waited a bit for a table.  We also waited awhile for our food too, but that was well worth it since they didn't merely slap things together.  Dr. Dre went for the Avocado and Tomato Benny served with house hash browns.  This was surprisingly composed dish where the effort put into making it really showed.  Softly toasted, the English muffin stood up to the creamy Hollandaise that was buttery and rich.  It could've used a touch more acidity though.  The ripe avocado added even more body to the dish while the bits of tomato cut the heaviness with some tang.  On the side, the hash browns were fantastic being crispy while soft in the middle.  They were beautifully caramelized and browned.  Kaiser Soze went for the 3 Pancakes with 2 sausages and strips of bacon.  He also added 2 eggs for good measure.  Boy, this was a lot of food where the pancakes were thin and fluffy while the rest of the items were prepared to his liking.

Milhouse went with the Corned Beef Hash that featured the same fantastic house made hash browns.  Hence, we knew it was going to be good.  Mixed in with the crispy, yet soft chunks of potato (with the skin on), the well-seared corned beef was aromatic and a bit crispy on the edges.  Combined with the peppers and onions, this was a solid hash that wasn't overly greasy.  His scrambled eggs were not bad as they were not overdone.  For myself, I went for lunch with the Reuben with fries.  The bread was extremely buttery which also meant it was super crunchy.  There was enough corned beef and sauerkraut for impact.  The accompanying house-cut fries were super crunchy while retaining some potato goodness inside. So judging by the pictures, you can clearly see that this wasn't some fancy breakfast.  However, it was well-made and well-priced.  Sometimes the basic is all that you need.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Overall well-made food
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Very few tables
- Food takes awhile to arrive