Microbrasserie de l'Île d’Orléans - Pub Le Mitan

Last time we were in Quebec City, it was the second-to-last stop on our cruise from Boston to Montreal.  Hence, we only had a day and weren't able to hit all of our intended stops.  This time around, with rental car (or mini-van in this case) in hand, we drove out to Montmorency Falls.  After many many stairs down the side of a hill to get the money shot of the falls, we were tired from the hot weather.  We took a break under some trees and planned out next destination - l'Île d’Orléans.  This was not too far from where we were as we crossed the Orleans Island Bridge.  We were looking for lunch and yet again, we did the random restaurant approach and ended up at Pub Le Mitan, attached to the Microbrasserie de l'Île d’Orléans.

Well, since we were at a micro brewery, the right thing to do is have a beer n'est pas?  So Costanza had the Pilsner while I went a completely different direction with the Gose Fraises Basilic (Strawberry Basil).  I will readily admit that I like lighter beers, in particular fruitier ones such as grapefruit radlers and sours.  This one was off-the-hook with a clean and crisp taste while having a generous hit of strawberries with a mild basil finish.  I liked this so much, I bought some to go from the store afterwards.

Onto the food, we had some of their Chicken Wings served with BBQ sauce.  Surprisingly, these were some of the best wings I've had recently.  Since they were brined in beer, they had good flavour and the meat was super juicy and tender.  The skin was beautifully rendered and was crispy despite being glazed with BBQ sauce. We had some extra BBQ sauce served in the middle of the basket and it was tangy with some spice.

For my main, I had the Smoked Meat Sandwich served on toasted rye.  It came with pickles as well as a healthy side of mustard.  As a sandwich, this ate quite well.  Naturally, this wasn't the smoked meat that I was looking for (that would be in Montreal), but it was definitely serviceable.  Unfortunately, the fries were not very good.  They were fried far too long and were dry and lifeless.  I did enjoy the side of coleslaw as it was fresh and had a nice tanginess.

Elaine and Costanza weren't too hungry and decided to share some Fish & Chips as well as a salad with their own order of wings.  Well, this had the same unfortunate fries and they were not very appealing in texture.  The beer battered fish was okay with a moist flakiness.  Batter was relatively thin with a crunchy exterior.  However, the batter closest to the fish was a bit wet (usually it is, but it was more so here).

Viv wasn't hungry either and went for their Smoked Salmon Baguette with a lot of cream cheese on the side.  This was served with onions and capers much like you would find on a bagel.  Also similarly to a bagel, the baguette was a bit dense and hard.  We put all the cream cheese on it to add some moisture and it helped.  Overall, we thought the food was serviceable at Pub Le Mitan but not great, except for the wings.  However, the main draw here is the beers.  I loved mine so much I am looking into getting some shipped back to Vancouver!

The Good:

- Menu has something for everyone

- Excellent beer

- Comfortable dining space

The Bad:

- Food is fine but not the draw here

Britannia Brewing Ladner

Although there are 2 locations of Britannia Brewing in the Lower Mainland, I've never had a chance to visit either spot.  It finally took the Dine Around Delta to get me out to the Ladner store.  For those who don't know, Dine Around Delta is their version of Dine Out Vancouver.  It is running until March 19th and Britannia Brewing is offering a 3-course meal for only $40.00.  We came out here to try all of the options for that as well as adding in a few extra dishes.

There are 2 choices for appetizers including the Brant Lake Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Dijon shallot aioli, fried capers, arugula and parmesan.  This was a large portion of thinly-sliced beef that was tender, yet retaining a meatiness.  It tasted great by itself where the creaminess of the aioli provided moisture while the fried capers and parm added saltiness (personally I could've done with even more saltiness though).  Even by itself on the regular menu, it is only $14.00!

The other option was the Beet & Goat Cheese Salad with pickled red and golden beets, whipped goat cheese, pistachio granola, gremolata and extra virgin olive oil.  This was another winner where the beets were tender, earthy and full of tanginess.  There was a considerable amount of creamy goat cheese accented by the gremolata.  To add texture, the crunch from the granola was welcomed.

We added an appie from the regular menu with the KFC (Korean Fried Cauliflower) with spicy gochujang sauce, sesame seeds and lime.  Loved how the cauliflower was cooked through without becoming mushy.  The exterior was lightly crispy, but softened by the sauce.  There was just enough of it where it clung onto each piece without being saucy.  It was tangy, spicy and sweet.

Onto the mains, we had a choice of 2 including 1 lbs of Salt Spring Island Mussels in a Adrift blonde ale broth with double-smoked bacon, tomato, garlic, cream and fries.  The mussels were cooked beautifully being plump and tender.  The broth prepared well where the ale had been cooked down enough and the plethora of garlic and bacon added aroma and flavour.  The side of fries were starch-covered and crunchy. 

The other main offered in the Dine Around Delta menu was the Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank atop Mediterranean pearl barley, winter carrots and rosemary & garlic jus.  That lamb shank was perfectly braised where it fell off the bone.  Gelatinous and moist, the lamb was not too gamy.  At first, I thought it could've used more salt, but the olives and tomatoes in the barley helped add bursts of flavour.  Loved the roasted carrots as they were crunchy with a smoky char.

We added the Truffle Mushroom Fettuccine from the main menu just for kicks and it was a good decision.  First of all, the pasta was perfectly al dente.  Secondly, there was enough crimini and portobello mushrooms for woodiness as well as texture.  Lastly, there was the right amount of cream to cling onto each noodle without being too saucy.  The amount of truffle oil was restrained, which was a good thing.

Onto dessert, we were given 2 choices including Cinnamon Sugar Churros (with chocolate ganache) and Sticky Toffee Pudding with caramel sauce.  The 2 churros were crunchy and naturally sweet due to the dusting of sugar.  We found the sticky toffee pudding to be surprisingly not too sweet.  That is what we prefer as most versions are far too sweet.  This one had nice smoky sweetness while being moist.

Of course we couldn't forget the drinks where we had a Flight consisting of Peach Witbier, Adrift Blonde Ale, Amber Lager and Stout.  Really loved the stout as it was smoky with a coffee caramel finish.  For our cocktail, we tried the Westham Sour consisting of Empress gin, egg white, lemon juice and cranberry bitters.  Naturally, this was fruity and light.  It went down really smooth even though it was a sour.  So overall, this was a solid meal and considering the reasonable prices, it is somewhat of a rarity these days with such high food costs.  I would definitely come back.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable pricing
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- Some dishes could use more salt  

Superflux Beer Company

For those craft beer connoisseurs out there, I'm sure you've heard of Superflux before.  Emerging out of the shadows of Callister and Strathcona Brewing since its inception in 2015, Superflux opened its B&M store back in August 2020 with takeaway sales and limited takeout.  As of last week, they are going full-tilt with a dine-in lounge with their full array of beers on tap.  Furthermore, Chef Justin Lee (formerly of the Crowbar), is at the helm of the kitchen with a simple menu of 3 gourmet hot dogs and 3 salads to start.  Jacqueline and I dropped by for a preview before they went live.

Let's get right to the point of this blog post - the beer!  They didn't have actual flights per se, but to get a sample of what they had offer, we got 6 x 6oz tasters.  From top left and clockwise, we had the Green Hill Cider, Colour & Shape, Fresh Foam, Happyness, Coconuts and Velvetone.  My favourite of the bunch was the happyness, an IPA dry-hopped with mosaic.  This was aromatic and light with a pleasant sour finish.  As much as the velvetone is a double-IPA hopped with galaxy, citra, mosaic and nelson, it wasn't that intense.  In fact, it was balanced with a nice crisp finish.  The most surprising was the coconuts as I was expecting something too sweet, but in the end, it was aromatic with a pleasant bite.

Off to the eats, we tried the salads including (from left-to-right) the Purple Queen Turnip "Not" Caesar (with cannellini, parmigiano vinagrette and crispy butter), Castelfranco Radicchio Nahm Jim (with radicchio, green bean, fermented tomato nahm jim, fried shallots and peanuts, Endive Bolzanese (with Belgian endive, Italian egg salad dressing, pickled onion and crispy potato.  Don't let the fact these were salads fool you.  They were excellent.  The turnip in the "Caesar" was crunchy and bright while the butter soaked croutons (aka crispy butter) were sinfully addictive.  Absolutely enjoyed the South Asian flavours in the castelfranco that featured tang, aromatics and slight spice.  Creamy and eggy, the crunchy endive was also the beneficiary of the added texture of the crunchy and nutty potato bits.

From the 3 salads, we went to the 3 hot dogs including The Mortadella (with a Black Forest Premium Bavarian dog, corn ragout, mortadella, lemon mayo, pistachio, grana padano and olive oil), Beet Ranch (with the same dog, beet and white onion salad, baby cucumber, house ranch, dill, potato crum and olive oil), and The Oscar (with Two Rivers all-natural dry-aged beef dog, oven-dried tomatoes, dressed rock crab, bearnaise sauce, smoked paprika, chives and olive oil).  Our favourite was the beet ranch with its combination of textures, dill and sharp onion.  In the oscar, the tangy impactful tomatoes really brought the hot dog alive as well as providing a jolt of acidity to the creamy bearnaise.  As you can see, the food is limited at the moment, but they really do go with the beer (even the salads!).  Nice spot to grab some superflux bevvies to go with your food.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Well, the beer!

- Surprisingly good salads

- Solid hot dogs

The Bad:

- Dining space limited due to Covid

Little Bird Dim Sum + Craft Beer

Inaccessible Dim Sum - where most typical diners cannot afford to visit often.  It all started with Mott 32 where we found high-end Dim Sum complete with non-traditional Michelin-Star quality service and accompanying dining space.  Then we found places like Ampersand and Blossom where fusion Dim Sum was served in modern digs without the old surly wait staff that could care less if you existed.  Well now we have something that meshes new and old together without bastardizing traditional Dim Sum nor asking for your first-born to dine there.  The name is Little Bird and this is within the same family that runs the iconic Flamingo House restaurant.  So at the very least, we know that the eats will be legit.  We essentially find traditional Dim Sum served in a non-traditional setting.

The main draw for me was that I could eat this for dinner, so I rounded up the fam and made the drive out to Kits.  We decided to try an array of dishes including the usual Ha Gau and Siu Mai.  Now you will noticed that they served the dumplings in threes rather than fours mostly to keep the costs down as the location isn't cheap and neither is the modern.  Moreover, the wait staff are young, courteous and efficient - that means they cost more too. In terms of execution, the shrimp dumpings were indeed good featuring a semi-thick wrapper that had some elasticity.  Inside, the whole shrimp and shrimp paste filling was moist, airy and of course bouncy.  It was mildly flavoured with the unmistakeable hint of sesame oil.  As for the pork & shrimp dumplings, they were on the firmer side consisting of the classic combination of processed pork, chunks of pork, shrimp and shiitake mushroom.  So all of the usual flavours were there, yet at the same time, the dumpling was not salty.

Interestingly, most Dim Sum spots do not offer Shrimp Toast anymore, but they had it here at Little Bird!  There was no doubt we had to order this.  I'm happy to report that it was no mistake as each piece featured crunchy toast bottoms that were only somewhat soaked with oil (hard to not be when you throw bread into a deep-fryer) which makes it so tasty!  On top, the shrimp mousse was perfectly moist and springy with the natural sweetness coming through.  If you haven't tried this before, I recommend this as a must order.  Staying on with the deep fried, we had the Deep Fried Wontons that were stuffed with a filling that was like the ha gau.  As such, it was just as bouncy and miost.  Once again, the seasoning was mild where the natural flavours came through.  As evidenced in the picture, the outside was crispy and completely browned affording a noticeable nuttiness.

On the flip side, their Spring Rolls were of the traditional variety consisting of pork, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp and bamboo shoots.  It is true that I'm much more used to the all-shrimp variety that is more common on menus these days.  However, this version was really good and brought back memories of my childhood (wait, I used to go to Flamingo House as a kid...  makes sense...).  Firmly crunchy on the outside and served steaming hot, these were on point with a varied textured filling.  One of the more surprising dishes offered on the menu would have been the Deep Fried Chicken Knuckles.  I surely didn't mind as each piece was large and meaty with the unmistakable crunch from the cartilage.  Try it, don't be scared!  The only thing I would've liked to see was a bit more spice and saltiness, but then again, we could get hot sauce on the side.

One of the largest items on the menu was the Sticky Rice served as one portion wrapped in lotus leaves.  Very traditional as we normally find 3 mini versions at most places now.  There are advantages with the larger version as it usually stays more moist and in this case, can be stuffed with 2 drummettes and a large piece of cured sausage (insert joke here...).  Indeed the sticky rice was moist and still appealingly chewy with plenty of ground pork and shiitake.  One of the more relatively expensive items on the menu was the BBQ Pork Bun for $3.00 each.  Granted these buns were actually rather large (also insert joke here) as it took up most of the steamer all by itself.  In terms of execution, the bun was good where it was fluffy and light while retaining some resistance.  The lean BBQ pork filling was on the sweeter side yet not overly so.

Another table favourite had to be the Scallop Taro Puff.  Normally, these are served in a football-like shape, but this one had an open top covered by a scallop.  The scallop itself was delicate and buttery while caramelized on the outside.  Light and crispy, the exterior was not overly greasy (as some versions tend to be).  Just underneath, the medium-thick layer of mashed taro was airy and smooth.  Inside, the ground pork and shiitake was fairly light and mildly-seasoned.  Although the Pork Spareribs were full-flavoured from the plethora of minced garlic, the dish itself was a bit sloppy.  There was far too much moisture and grease which made things goopy.  With that being said, the rib portions were tender while still retaining a bite.  Furthermore, the dish wasn't oversalted which meant that the garlic and natural flavours of the pork come through.

Onto 2 pan-fried items, we had the Pot Stickers as well as the Shanghai Pork Bun.  We enjoyed the semi-thin dumpling wrapper of the pot stickers as they were easy to eat as well as having a mouth-pleasing elasticity.  Inside, the pork filling was tender and moist.  It wasn't very dense either and had just enough cabbage.  Once again, the seasoning was on the milder side and we were beginning to suspect that this was intentional considering that many of the clientele would be sensitive if there was too much sodium or MSG in the food.  As for the Shanghai Pork Bun, it was an actual bun like the BBQ Pork Bun where it was fluffy and light.  That made it a lot less cumbersome to eat like many other versions of this dish.  On the other hand, it also was more wet as it absorbed the moisture from the moist filling as well as the oil in the pan.

We settled on 2 items for dessert beginning with the Egg Tarts.  These were pretty textbook featuring a buttery and flaky puff pastry shell.  The browning on it was a bit uneven, but the ultimate edibility and texture was not compromised.  We found the silky egg custard centre to be aromatic and purposefully sweet.  My son wanted the Steamed Sponge Cake and it arrived in 3 separate portions rather than the tall single version.  This was also good where the cake was airy and light while having a sweet aroma.  The cake itself was just sweet enough, but there was a side of condensed milk for those with a sweeter tooth.   So as you can see, we tried a good chunk of the menu and most items were good.  For all of the places that are offering overpriced fusion Dim Sum, it is nice to see a place reasonably-priced (with all things taken into account) authentic Dim Sum in a non-traditional space (and area for all that matters).

The Good:
- Authentic Dim Sum
- Attentive service
- Reasonable-pricing with all things considered

The Bad:
- Most items could've used more seasoning, but it might have been intentional
- Not a big restaurant, keep your party small
- Might offend some traditionalists, but that is not the target demographic

Parallel 49 Brewing

Long ago, I had visited Parallel 49 Brewing for, what else, a beer-tasting.  That was fine and dandy, but there wasn't any food!   Don't get me wrong, I like a good brew as long as I can eat something with it!  So I never planned a return visit.  Recently, I heard that they had put in a permanent food truck in the restaurant (yes, it is parked right in the dining area!).  After Sunday hockey, it was suggested we go there since we were at nearby Britannia Arena.  Sounded good to me!

To get a sense of the menu, I enlisted the help of JuJu and Milhouse in sharing some of their more popular items.  We started with their BBQ Wings served with ranch dressing.  Now if you are wondering why the wings were dry, the "BBQ" was the rub on the outside of the wings rather than a sauce.  Hence, they ate crispy with a sweet and slightly spicy coating.  The skin was somewhat rendered while the meat was moist and juicy.  Since sides are extra for the burgers, we got both the Kennebec Fries and Waffle Fries to share.  Much like the wings, these were also solid.  Extra crispy and light, the fries were more like Belgian frites (which is a good thing).  On that theme, the side of dijon mayo was the perfect dip for the fries.  The waffle fries were crunchy and not overly greasy while the cilantro mayo had just enough flavour without being overwhelming.

Trying to share the Bacon Cheeseburger was an exercise in mathematical angles, but we figured it out.  It consisted of a beef patty, cheddar, bacon, lettuce, onion, pickled cucumber and mac sauce on a brioche bun.  This was reminiscent of the one found at The EI Furniture Warehouse but better IMO.  From the soft moist patty to the crispy bacon, this was an enjoyable burger.  I found the brioche to be soft enough that it didn't interfere with the rest of the ingredients while robust enough to not fall apart either.  Sharing the Two Piece Fried Chicken & Slaw was a bit easier and oh was it ever good.  Not only was the meat juicy, the skin was fantastically crunchy and spiced.  Add in the cayenne honey and we had sweet heat.  Not to be outdone, the side of slaw could've also been the star as it was crunchy, tangy and full-flavoured.

Finally, we shared something that didn't need to be cut into irregular sizes - 3 x Crispy Beer Battered Cod Tacos with cabbage, spicy mayo, pico and micro cilantro.   Nothing complex here but just well-prepared fish that was flaky and moist while encased in a crispy thin batter.  Cabbage and pico de gallo were fresh while the spicy mayo added a kick.  So in the end, I thought the food was really solid considering the venue.  Nothing that will set the culinary world on fire, but a good side for your beverage.

The Good:
- Well-prepared pub-like food to go with your drink
- Fair-pricing
- Since it is in Parallel 49, you have many drink options

The Bad:
- Wish the sides were included