Gaya Sushi

"We haven't eaten at a restaurant for a long time...", exclaimed my son one random evening.  That was bizarre.  The very same son who could eat Kraft Dinner for 7 days straight complaining about not eating out?!?!?  "Go ask Mom", I replied.  LOL, defer responsibility...  Since it was a weeknight, we decided to go somewhere near, which happened to be the recently opened Gaya Sushi.  At first glance, the place looked like any other neighbourhood Japanese joint, but once inside, the place was bustling with activity.  So much so, we were not acknowledge for a good 7 minutes.  We finally were seated 10 minutes after walking in and not before the person beside us indicating we were before them (the staff didn't even notice this).  The fact that someone actually admitted to being behind in a lineup was refreshing (it proves we weren't in Richmond!).

After sitting down, a familiar face strolled into the joint - Dark Helmet!  A foodie in his own right, he said the place was pretty good and to be sure to try the Chirashi Don.  And that we did.  For $10.95, we thought it was a fabulous value since there was a good array of fresh sashimi on top of chewy flavourful sushi rice (with a drizzle of chili oil). We ended up with some maki sushi as well consisting of the Red Dragon and House Roll.  The house roll was packed with ingredients with a minimal layer of sushi rice.  It was a little loose, falling apart when we picked it up.  Nevertheless, it was good for $4.95.  The dragon roll was  essentially a dynamite roll topped with spicy tuna.  The roll was fine, but lacked any real spiciness.  We found the sushi rice to have a good chewy texture with only a mild amount of flavour.

For the kiddies, we got them an order of Assorted Tempura, which they proceeded to demolish.  So much so, we had to order a prawn tempura to supplement.  Reason why was because the batter was light and crispy while the dish was served piping hot.  Since they couldn't survive on tempura alone (they might differ in opinion), we got them the Yaki Udon as well.  It was on the sweeter side due to the amount of onion used in the dish (since we asked for no bean sprouts).  However, it wasn't too wet and the 2 pieces of shrimp and mussels were cooked nicely.  Lastly, we had and order of Gyoza and they were so-so.  They were not as crisp as the visuals would suggest and the filling was a bit mushy.  Despite this, the food in general was surprisingly decent at a reasonable price. Not bad for the area.


The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Service is lacking
- Parking lot fills up quick

Grain Tasting Bar

First Mosaic, then the Chef's Table and now Grain Tasting Bar?  What's this love-in with the Hyatt Regency anyways?  Well, my visit to Mosaic was on my own coin and time, so it was by complete coincidence that I was invited to the Chef's Table shortly after.  Now my visit to Grain was somewhat expected as I was invited to their media event.  However, I was not able to make it, which in turn resulted in a lunch tasting instead.  So to make sure all that food wouldn't go to waste, I enlisted the help of Gadget Girl.  Upon my arrival at Grain, I was pleasantly surprised at the transformation of the former stuffy and dark bar that once occupied the space.  With the addition of retractable windows, the place is bright, welcoming and open.  But without a proper kitchen, what could they possibly serve with their cocktails?

And yes, I started with a cocktail being the Vanilla Sky.  Don't worry, Tom Cruise wasn't around to profess his love for Katie Holmes (well, not anymore at least).  Rather, I was presented with a drink consisting of Canadian Club whiskey, fresh lemon juice, egg whites and vanilla extract.  For me, it was refreshing and due to the frothy egg whites, it reminded me of an Orange Julius drink (albeit alcoholic).  To go with the booze, we were presented with a Palatte of Caviar consisting of 3 types served with toast points, egg yolk, chives, red onion and creme fraiche.  This was a pretty straightforward offering which was naturally good, but the toast points could've been crispier.  Next up were some Village Bay Oysters on the half shell with a cucumber mignonette.  The oysters were fresh, sweet and brightened up by the crisp cucumbers.  Simple but good.

Moving along, we had the Spring Creek Ranch Beef Tartar with capers, mustard, chives and a 64 degree egg on top.  This was good due to the preparation of the meat.  It exhibited a nice sheen and colour while being super tender.  The egg yolk offered up a silky creaminess which made the tartar go down easy.  Normally, this would be served with grilled Turkish bread, but that would too much filler for this tasting.  Served on the same wood plank, we had the Argentinian Red Shrimp Cocktail.  The red shrimp, in my mind, most resemble spot prawns.  Their delicate texture (with little-to-no snap, if not overcooked) and natural sweetness were probably enough that we didn't need the cocktail sauce.  However, we did try the cocktail sauce and it was pretty balanced.

Onto my next cocktail, I was served the Ruby Tuesday consisting of Absolut raspberry vodka, Okanagan Springs taboo absinthe, cranberry juice and fresh strawberries.  Suffice to say, this was another refreshing drink with a mild bite.  This was light enough to balance out our next offerings which included Smoked Spanish Sausage and Meatballs served with toasted bread.  The sausage was good being meaty, spicy and a nice snap from the casing.  Similarly, the meatballs were moist and meaty as well while bathed in a zesty tomato sauce.  I dipped the crunchy bread into the sauce and I found myself finishing it off.  Again, a simple plate of food, but a great accompaniment to my beverage.

Lastly, we were served a plate of Charcuterie with bread and condiments.  There was kazu copa, prosciutto and truffle salami (from Oyama Sausage Company) along with Montaña and Brie cheeses.  These were accompanied by house-made mustard, chutney and candied almonds.  Again, this was a pretty straightforward offering which would be excellent with some drinks (especially wine).  As you can see, the food at Grain Tasting Bar ain't exactly reinventing the wheel by any stretch of the imagination.  However, the simple and clean presentation combined with a nicely renovated space makes it a good place to grab some bites to go with your drinks.

*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*

The Good:
- Modern, spacious environment
- Simple menu that doesn't try to overextend the point of the restaurant

The Bad:
- With no real kitchen, the offerings are limited to what they can produce

Marutama Ramen

A year ago, there seemed to be a ramen joint opening every month.  However, fast forward to the present and it seems this "fad" has been reduced to a trickle.  In fact, due to unfortunate circumstances, we have seen the closing of almost all the Benkei locations.  So it was a little surprising to see another Ramen shop give it a go along the Robson corridor.  Located just off Robson on Bidwell, this is the first North American location of the Marutama Ramen chain (which operates in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia).  Snake (a ramen connoisseur) and I decided to hit up the spot to see what it was all about.

As a baseline, I got the Tamago Ramen.  In not a particularly big bowl, the amount of food was not substantial.  However, the quality did make up for the lack of quantity.  The freshly made in-house noodles were firm and toothsome while the chicken broth had plenty of depth and silkiness.  I would say the broth would be considered salty to some, but for me, it just barely straddled that line.  The abundance of Aosa seaweed provided some brightness and the addition of fried garlic (at the table) provided some aromatics.  We really liked the fatty and moist chashu and  gotta say this was the best soft boiled egg I've had from a ramen shop, even the egg white melted in my mouth.  Snake went for Zenbu Ramen (The Works) which included roast pork in addition to the chashu and egg.  I'm not sure if it was worth $18.00 but he enjoyed it nonetheless.  His chose a spicier broth and it did have a kick indeed - just enough for flavour but not overwhelming.

We both had a side of Chashu Gohan and it was fantastic.  The fatty and moist roast pork was tossed with onions where there was a plethora of caramelization.  The flavours were intense and the textures were super moist.  The rice was nicely chewy and the whole thing was just plain delicious.  In fact, we both agreed that everything we ate was well-prepared and tasty.  On the other hand, we were definitely paying for quality as the the portions sizes were modest at best.

The Good:
- Freshly made noodles
- Carefully prepared eats
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Pricey for what you get
- Not a whole lot of seats, but then again, most ramen joints are like this

Dex Gourmet Burger Bar and O Mini Donuts

My kids love Lonsdale Quay.  For the ball pit?  Yes, partly.  The various sights and sounds?  That too.  How about the spectacular view of Downtown Vancouver?  I suppose.  Actually, they love the place because they can get Beaver's Tails.  Well, not anymore apparently.  That's what we discovered when we walked up to it.  Replaced by O Mini Donuts, my son was not a happy camper.  However, it didn't take him long to get over it as we promised donuts after lunch.  And as for that lunch, we decided to try out another one of the food stalls - Dex Gourmet Burger Bar.

For myself, I decided on the Bacon Cheeseburger with a side of fries. The fairly large beef patty was cooked all-the-way-through, hence it was mostly dry.  The burger was quite greasy which actually helped alleviate some of the dryness.  The bacon was decently crisp while the use of real cheddar was welcomed.  The Cob's bun was fresh and held up well to the ingredients.   As for the fries, they were fried golden crispy with lots of soft potato inside. My son had a similar order in the Kid's Cheeseburger.  Despite being the kid's size burger, it was still fairly large.  Since the burger patty was a bit smaller, it was even more dry (and somewhat chewy).  He didn't end up finishing it because it was too much food. Okay burgers, but hardly gourmet.

Now onto what he had his eye on as we were eating lunch - Mini-Donuts! Much like the ones you'd find at the PNE (but not exactly), these were fried fresh and served either plain or with cinnamon sugar.  We went for the latter.  Naturally, these were warm and soft.  They were just a touch more dense than Those Little Donuts, but we still liked them.  Overall, it was an enjoyable visit to the market.  Can't say that the food was stellar, but it did the job.

The Good:
- Eating in the market is touristy (which can be good or bad)
- Burgers made-to-order
- Donuts made-to-order

The Bad:
- Inevitably, food is not the main draw here, it's okay, but the setting is more important

Donair Affair (Surrey)

Often, Vietnamese or Chinese food are my default cuisine choices when I'm looking for a quick, cheap and filling meal.  Think of it, a large plate or bowl of whatever for under $8.00 can be had.  However, as you can probably ascertain, the overwhelming amount of Asian food in this town can sometimes eclipse other choices.  Another place to fill your tummy for cheap would be the good ol' donair, shawarma, gyro or that-kinda-place. Think end credits of The Avengers.  Now, I'm no Iron Man, but I do have an iron stomach of sorts, except when it comes to the dreaded onion (but you really don't want to hear about that).  So off I went to Donair Affair in search of cheap eats.

I started with the Falafel Donair first and it was bursting at the seams (literally, as stuff was squirting out) with sauce and ingredients.  I liked the freshness of the lettuce as well as the vibrant tomatoes combined with the 3 different sauces.  The hot sauce was there, but wasn't really that spicy.  As for the falafels, they were premade, hence there was no crunch or textural contrasts.  Rather, it was crumbly and soft.  That didn't really bother me that much since the whole thing was satisfying.  The one thing that did annoy me somewhat was the salt content.  I got a Chicken Donair for Mrs. Spray Bottle and it was brimming full of nicely charred chicken meat.  It was still moist though with lots of natural sweet flavour.  Again, combined with the rest of the ingredients, it was a good and fulfilling concoction.

Lastly, my Lamb Platter was absolutely massive with lots of processed lamb meat.  It wasn't particularly lamb tasting and a bit dry, yet all the sauce on top made up for it.  The accompanying hummus was texturally smooth with some grittiness.  It did have a good lemon hit though.  Boy was I stuffed after the falafel donair.  Imagine how full I was after the platter...  Donair Affair hit the spot in terms of price, portion and quality.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Decent eats, but some aspects could be better such as the falafels and dry lamb

The Roc

Restaurants open.  Restaurants close.  Some operate for an eternity while some last as long as a cup of coffee.  There are name changes and changing of hands.  Sometimes, a restaurant may relocate or close for awhile and reopen down the road.  Now, how about a restaurant that has moved a total of 4 times, maintaining the same name and employees?  That would be The Roc.  A modest Chinese restaurant that began its existence on Kingsway at the terminus of King Edward.  We would frequent it for Dim Sum as their prices were rock (pun?) bottom while the food was more than acceptable.  Then they moved further East on Kingsway where Po Kong sits today.  Then all of a sudden, we found them located at the corner of Cambie and Marine.  They had to vacate shortly after because the building was slated for demolition to make way for a condo project.  Now, they took over the location of the former Penny Pub on Main and 41st.

After a warm, but interesting visit to the Bloedel Conservatory, we made the short jaunt over to the current location of The Roc. Gone are the push carts and in with the ever-so-familiar order sheets.  The first item to arrive was the Spring Rolls.  This was a mostly veggie version with tiny bits of shrimp hiding within the predominantly celery and carrot filling.  The overuse of celery made the roll taste a bit funny and too wet.  Otherwise, the outside was crispy and not overly greasy.  And as with most Dim Sum service, the dessert showed up next.  The Egg Tarts were flaky and buttery (or lardy?) with a semi-sweet filling.  For aesthetics, the tart shell could've used a bit more browning.

Up next was the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll, which was decent.  We found the rice noodle beautifully constructed being thin, soft and retaining a slight elasticity. The whole shrimp filling was adequate and had a nice snap, but were devoid of any seasoning.  With an attractive dusting of fish roe, the Sui Mai were big and meaty.  There was little else other than lean pork in the filling which meant it was rather dense and stiff.  Flavourwise, it was on the sweeter side in need of more savoury elements (maybe more shiitake?).  Onto a kiddie favourite, we had the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaves).  We found the rice to be a bit stiff, but the plethora of moist pork alleviated it somewhat.

As per my modus operandi (wooo...  big words!), I went for the Honeycomb Tripe laced with a good amount of garlic and a touch of spice.  I liked how it was flavourful without being overly salty.  In addition, the tripe was soft (but not mushy) and not gamy tasting.  Moving onto another must-have in my opinion was the Black Bean Spareribs.  This was a fairly large portion with chewy (in a good way) ribs.  We liked how there were very few cartilage pieces as well.  The entire dish was garlicky with some spice, yet mild at the same time.  There was very little black bean as the picture suggests.

For some reason or another, we ordered the BBQ Pork Buns (which we've done each of the last few times).  We never seem to finish them and the kids are usually somewhat mildly interested. We found these to be stiff and dense.  However, the filling was meaty (not fatty) and mixed in with a sweet glaze.  Moving onto some Beef Meatballs, they were big and barely fit onto the plate.  They had a nice meatiness to them with a slight bounce texture.  There was a good balance of water chestnuts and green onion, yet the mix could've used a touch more fat.

The Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) took forever to arrive and it appeared that they had given our order to another table.  Interestingly, the lady who made the mistake was scolded right in front of us.  Kinda awkward...  Anyways, the dumplings were a touch oversteamed which made the rice flour wrapper wet.  However, the whole shrimp filling had a good snap and exhibited a mild natural flavour.  All-in-all, a very acceptable meal considering the reasonable prices.  Although they have moved for the 3rd time, The Roc continues to offer up good value eats in a now cleaner environment.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent eats
- New and clean dining space

The Bad:
- Restaurant is really small, fills up quick
- Service is okay, but not the draw here for sure

Mogu

A little over a year ago, there were a few food carts.  Now, there are more than I can count.  As much as I would like to try every single one of them, the current setup doesn't exactly make it easy.  Many are essentially roaming carts, some have limited hours and some close before I even get to them. Originally, I was trying to finally visit Pig on the Street when to my horror, they were not at their usual spot on Howe.  With Whipping Girl tagging along, she insisted we go to Mangal Kiss instead.  Hey, I just blogged about that not-too-long-ago.  No can do!  She continued to whine much like the time we had to change from Boneta to Bistro Pastis.  I stayed strong and suggested we head over to Mogu instead.

I decided to try the Pork Miso Katsu with a side of Chicken Karaage.  I liked the pork cutlet as it was meaty while not being dry.  It was fried until crispy while the red miso sauce added a rich saltiness to the sandwich. The wasabi-laced coleslaw added a brightness and crunch which lightened up the heaviness of the cutlet.  The weak link had to be the bun though.  It was too dense and big which overwhelmed the ingredients. The side of Chicken Karaage was so freakin' fantastic, Whipping Girl vacated our meal and acquired another small order!  Why was it so good?  First, the chunks of dark meat were thick, brined and coated with a light, yet effective batter.  This ensured that all the juices were locked in while the outside stayed crispy.  I've rarely come across chicken karaage so moist and juicy in my eating adventures.  To finish it all off, it was drizzled with a sweet chili sauce that was just spicy enough to give the chicken some life. 

Whipping girl had the Kobacha Korokke which was made with squash and accented by katsu sauce, lettuce and avocado.  Again, the bun got in the way of an otherwise tasty sandwich.  The squash korokke was sweet and crispy which was flavoured enough by the salty and sweet sauce.  She liked the fresh avocados, but there wasn't enough of a textural contrast with the korokke.  As her side, we selected the special of the day being the Sake Salmon Chowder.  There was no mistaking the bacon content in this starchy chowder as it was the dominant flavour.  There was very little salmon which made it pretty much an afterthought.  The food was pretty good at Mogu, especially the chicken karaage.  It almost made me forget I was looking for Pig on the Street...

The Good:
- Awesome chicken karaage
- Really friendly people
- Carefully prepared eats

The Bad:
- The dense bun has to go