Puchkaman Street Food Cafe

I'm sure you are aware that there is no shortage of Indian eats along Scott Road along the Surrey/North Delta border.  However, most are Northern Indian restaurants.  In addition, we have the massive buffet in Tandoori Flame, some chaat houses, sweets shops and also Happy Singh's which dishes up street eats.  We now have more street eats at Puchkamen that, like its namesake, features Puchka (from Eastern India).  We dropped by to try some of their dishes.

Of course we had to start with the Puchkas with a variety consisting of Kolkata Special Aloo, Ghugni, Dahi and Paneer Szechuan.  My favourite of the bunch was the dahi as it was tangy and zesty.  I also enjoyed the Szechuan as it was spicy and since it was filled with paneer, the shell remained crunchy.  The Special Aloo had tender nuggets of spiced potatoes while the shell was also quite crispy.  To compliment, we tried all of their waters including Pudina, Khatta, Jeera and Meetha Panis.  

The next 2 dishes comprised of the Corn Chaat and the Mumbai Pav Bahji.  Refreshing with pops of sweetness and some bite from the onions, the corn was a nice compliment to the Pav.  Really enjoyed the Pav Bahji as the mashed veggies were almost creamy with nice heat and background earthiness.  The melting butter on top added more nutty richness.  Loved the soft buttered and toasted buns.

We got a selection of Momos including Tandoori, Pan Fried, Kurkure and Classic Steamed.  We also got the dipping sauces including Momo Chutney, Coriander Mint and Tandoori Mayo.  Even though I thought the Kurkure would be heavy, it really wasn't.  The crispy coating was great while the momo inside had a chewy, yet moist texture.  The Tandoori were nicely spice and had an appealing chewiness.  For each of these, the filling was vegetarian where it was nicely spiced and delicate without being mushy.

As for the Sandwich selection, we went for the Corn Cheess, Paneer Szechuan, Chicken Blast and Mushroom Blast.  Really loved how they used the sandwich press to achieve some smoky crispiness.  My favourite of the bunch was the Corn Cheese since it was super cheesy and sweet.  All of the other sammies had heat due to the spicy mayo drizzle.  The Szechuan was even more so in the heat department.  Loved that kick.

Trying some items from the other sections of the menu, we had the Aloo Tikki Chaat.  On the bottom, we found a bed of tender potatoes that had some crispiness while bathed in a tangy tamarind chutney.  On top, there was a combination of yogurt, mint coriander chutney, pomegranate seeds and crispy sev.  This was a textural delight with appetizing sweet and sour notes.
 

Something that was new to me was the Pan-Fried Maggi.  Yes, these are the instant noodles under the Maggi brand name!  I found the noodles a touch on the softer side, but since they were pan-fried, some parts had dried out and were still chewy (in a good way).  The combination of spices added earthy, tangy and slightly spicy notes.  With some cilantro, we had some herbaceousness.

 

 

If you are wondering why the Butter Chicken Fries was so light in colour, it is because the dish isn't native to Eastern Indian.  However, their version is thicker and generally has cashew paste added.  Hence this one resembled a Korma more than the Delhi-style's tangier tomato-forward dish.  Despite being coated with the sauce, the fries were crispy and the right type for this dish.  There was no starch coating which meant the fries were more naturally-textured.

 

They have one rice bowl available in the Tandoori Mint Bowl.  This featured chewy seasoned basmati rice topped with chicken and tandoori sauce.  This was quite a saucy affair with tang, sweetness and earthiness.  With the addition of mint, there was the usual brightness and herbaceousness.  Pretty solid bowl if you like it saucy.

 

The last item was the Chicken Kathi Roll that featured a really flaky paratha.  It was a considerably buttery and the chewy texture of the flatbread was fantastic.  Inside, there was plenty of tender chicken bathed in yogurt and spice.  A bit of heat and noted earthiness.  Overall, the street food at Puchkamen is quite good with the Puchkas and Sandwiches being the highlights for me.  Lots of options for takeout and dine in.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

 

The Good:

- Lots of options

- Good spice level

- Loved the paratha

 

The Bad:

- The limited staff there work hard and are friendly, but also means you need to be patient 

 

Sumibiyaki Arashi

Thanks to Ipanemagirl, I finally got to dine at Sumibiyaki Arashi.  Reservations are hard to come-by since Pete Ho's yakitori omakase spot has become a Vancouver favourite since it opened in February of 2025.  The place has already earned a Michelin-star and places #17 on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants.  Make no mistake, Pete Ho's lineage might be Taiwanese, but his training has been under 2 renowned Japanese chefs in Yoshiteru Ikegawa and Kentaro Nakahara.  His restaurant is compact with only 12 bar seats, where one can see him in action.  The omakase course costs $175.00 per person before drinks, add-ons, tax and tip.

The meal began with an Oyster on the half-shell.  It wasn't explained what type of oyster it was, but from my best guess, it appeared to be a type of Pacific oyster, possibly a kushi?  It was briny and sweet with a clean finish.  There was some ponzu, different cuts of blue fin tuna from Nova Scotia and a dollop of caviar.  Really nice refreshing bite leading up to our first yakitori.  However, we were also presented with House-made Pickles consisting of turnip, stems and cucumber.  These were used as palate-cleansers between courses.

Our first yakitori was the Dakimi Chicken Breast with wasabi.  Watching Chef Ho tend to the live flame was akin to attending the ballet where each movement and motion was deliberate in expertly preparing each skewer.  The doneness of the chicken was on point where it was plump and juicy while barely being cooked through.  Seasoning was evenly distributed and we didn't need to add anything else.

From the chicken breast, we moved onto the Chicken Thigh that was coated in tare.  Due to the use of kishu binchōtan, the heat was extremely hot and smoky.  Hence, the chicken thigh, with more fat and the skin-on, was charred with crispy edges.  Textural contrast between those edges and the succulent chicken provided excellent mouth-feel.  Definitely got the smokiness as well as the sweetness from the tare.

I was hoping to have some Chicken Hearts as part of the Omakase and my prayers were answered.  Sporting three gigantic hearts with one smaller one, the skewer was my favourite of the meal.  The hearts were evenly charred with smoky caramelization along with the slight saltiness of the seasoning.  Plump with a juicy interior, the hearts were perfectly grilled.  They rode that fine line between being cooked through and being undercooked.  

Moving away from Yakitori for our next course, we were presented with a beautiful slice of A5 Waygu accompanied by a deep-fried quail's egg.  Without sounding too clichéd, the beef literally melted in our mouths.  It was buttery, silky and super soft.  This was marinated in yuzu kosho ponzu with scallions on top, that was it.  With a bit of crispiness, the quail's egg popped with a completely runny yolk.  After this sinful and rich piece of beef, we were present a Palate Cleanser where the juicy tomato really stood out.

We moved right back into yakitori with the Lower Thigh (which really is the drumstick).  This was even juicier than the thigh and had a bit of the usual tendons found in it.  They were not noticeable though.  Once again, the skin was juicy and flavourful and not flabby.  Smokiness was at the forefront as well with the scallions providing brightness and really went well with the meat.

From here, we had an interlude of sorts with the 6-hour Chicken Paitan Broth that made use of the all the chicken carcasses after they broke down the meat.  This was highly-concentrated with intense sweetness and umami.  It was also silky with a slightly viscous consistency from the collagen.  This was simply seasoned with some salt and a touch of pepper.  Really clean and delicious.

Our next course didn't even involve meat in the Crispy Tofu.  This was firmly crispy, yet gave way to airiness and fluffy tofu.  Really nice textural contrast.  There was the sweetness of nikiri soy as well which was balance off by the brightness of the Tokyo negi, daikon sprouts, myoga, and shiso on top.  Right after, we were served Shishito Peppers that were salted and blistered.  They were tender with just a touch of crispiness in spots on the outside.  Smoky of course with natural sweetness and a touch of bitterness.  No hot peppers this time around!

Continuing on, we had the Chawanmushi with mushrooms.  It also appeared to be crab tomalley on top (?) which added some more creaminess and depth.  The mushroom really came through while there was a noted smokiness.  It was sweet as well with a bright and clean finish.  The egg custard was silky and smooth with very little residual moisture left.  Really good version.

Back to the skewers, we had the beautiful Duck Breast.  Trying not to repeat myself, but really, the duck was prepared expertly where it was cooked to medium being succulent and juicy.  The seasoning was just right where the nikiri soy added just enough savoury sweetness to amp up the umami of the meat.  Skin rendered enough that it wasn't overly flabby.

I knew we would get to the Tsukune eventually and it did not disappoint.  Wrapping around the whole skewer, the chicken meatball was juicy and moist with a delicate bounce texture.  Of course there was smokiness to go with the ever-so-light crispy exterior from the grill.  It sat atop egg yolk and tare which only added to the meatball with silkiness and sweetness.

Finishing with one more yakitori, we had the Wing & Drummette.  As expected, this was also succulent and juicy.  For the flats, the meat was silky while the skin was crisped up and well seasoned.  For the drummette portion, the meat was predictably firmer, but it was still plenty plump and moist.  For this one, I added the tableside numbing spice and it was a nice compliment to the natural sweetness of the chicken and the smokiness from the grill.

Our last item before dessert was the Nyumen Somen in chicken broth and charcoal oil with some ground chicken on the side.  Really nice finish to the savoury portion of the Omakase.  The soup was clean and sweet with rich smokiness.  I added the chicken to the broth and it provided a certain deep in terms of flavour and texture.  The noodles were slippery and still had a chew.

Onto dessert, we were presented with a slice of Melon as well as the Pineapple & Passionfruit Sorbet with poached pineapple.  The melon was supremely ripe being soft and sweet.  As for the sorbet, it was a bit chunky, yet still easy to eat.  The sweetness was measured while the sweetness of the pineapple on top was a treat.  Overall, this was a fantastic meal with expert execution of the skewers and the rest of the dishes.  Really worth the money and deserving of all the accolades.

The Good:
- Expertly-prepared
- Flavours were impactful
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Sometimes, there was limited descriptions of each item

Kona Kitchen (Lynnwood)

Not trying to be overly complicated for our dinner plans, we merely made our way to the Lynnwood location of Kona Kitchen for some Hawaiian eats.  For those who not familiar, Hawaiian cuisine is highly influenced by the different nationalities that have moved there.  These include Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese and many others.  Hence, there is a mish mash of things and they even have plates of mixed cuisine since workers would share their lunches with each other.

We started with the classic Spam Musubi where the influences were definitely Japanese with American injection of Spam.  Normally, the Spam would be seared with some sweet soy glaze to cut some of the saltiness.  Then it would be placed on a fairly thick block of sushi rice and then crispy nori wrapped around it.  Such a simple concoction, but ultimately super delicious.  The sushi rice is critical as it cuts the Spam's saltiness.  This particular version had a balance amount of components, but I wished there was more glaze on the Spam to cut the saltiness.  The rice was quite good being chewy yet still moist.

Viv went big with the Waimea Plate with thinly-sliced teriyaki beef, katsu pork, spring rolls, mac salad and 2 scoops of rice.  Loved the beef as it was full-flavored and tender.  Katsu was a bit thin and hence not as moist as it could've been.  Panko coating was crispy and not greasy.  Spring rolls were crunchy and some would call them lumpia (Filipino influence).  Mac salad was a bit too soft for me, but the amount of mayo was right and the seasoning was on point.

I went for the Hamburger Steak complete with gravy, grilled onions, 2 scoops of rice and mac salad.  Yes, this has elements of the Japanese Hamburg steak which itself is already a fusion dish of a Salisbury steak.  This one was excellent with large and thin rectangular patty.  It was moist and juicy while completely seared on both sides.  Gravy had a nice viscosity and was plenty savoury while being influenced by the sweetness of the onions.

I ended up adding a small Saimin to go with my main dish and it really did bring back memories of having it at Hamura on the island of Kauai.  This simple bowl of chewy thin noodles fuses mainly Chinese and Japanese cuisine together that features a clean dashi, half a hard-boiled egg and char siu.  Nothing mind-blowing, but comforting and satisfying.  This particular version was exactly that but I wished the char siu was less dry.  Overall, Kona Kitchen did do the trick and satisfied our Hawaiian food cravings.

The Good:

- Fairly generous portions

- Decent eats

- Good service

The Bad:

- Although it did the job, I was wanting a bit more with some items

Siam 65 Thai Street Food

For many different reasons, Portland is a surprising hotbed for Thai food.  I strongly believe that the Portland Thai food game is better than Vancouver, B.C. (where I'm from).  However, what gets lost in all this is that Seattle has a say in this too.  In fact, I've had some excellent Thai meals in the Seattle Metro Area.  The most recent of this was at a hidden little spot called Siam 65 located in Lynnwood.  You would never spot it from the Hwy 99 as it is tucked behind a few other restaurants.

We began with the Chicken Wings which were deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown.  Hence, they were crunchy with generally rendered skin.  The meat itself was quite moist but not exactly juicy.  As much as the menu description promised garlic pepper and Thai spices, the flavours were just not there.  They could've been considerably more aggressive with the seasoning.  However, there was a Thai sweet chili sauce on the side.

With a wealth of wok hei and caramelization, the Pad Thai was full-flavoured.  The rice noodles were chewy, completely loose and not clumpy.  Hence, it was very easy to eat and pick up with our chopsticks.  There was a good mix of briny and tangy elements with balanced spice.  At the same time, the dish did not have too much moisture either.  The prawns were meaty with a sweet snap texture.  Really good version of this dish.

Equally delicious, the Pad Kra Pow with fried egg was served in a generous portion.  There was more than enough tender ground pork and veggies to go with the modest amount of rice.  Flavors were impactful with caramelized sweetness, smokiness and spice.  Thai basil came through too.  As you can see, the fried egg on top of the rice was perfect with a crispy bottom and a runny yolk.  Mixed with the rice, there was silkiness and also crunch.  

We also had the Chicken Green Curry which was also full-flavoured.  It was slightly briny, plenty aromatic, creamy and a bit herbaceous.  Of course it went well with the side of rice.  The chicken breast meat was actually rather moist while the baby eggplant had a wonderful texture that was not mushy.  Overall, the dishes we had at Siam 65 were flavorful and impactful.  Caramelization from the wok hei was evident and the portion sizes were good.  

The Good:

- Impactful flavors

- Good wok hei

- Fair portions

The Bad:

- Wings could've been seasoned more aggressively

Thai Pud Pong

After a day of cruising up and then back down the Sea-to-Sky Highway, we were looking forward in heading home.  However, we hit the dreaded traffic going back into Vancouver and worse yet, the bridges were pretty much all red according to Google Maps.  Therefore, we didn't even bother with that and ended up going for dinner at Thai Pud Pong on Marine Drive in West Van.  If you have read this blog from the start, you will know that I haven't been back to Thai Pud Pong in 16 years! 

Kicking things off, we had the Green Papaya Salad.  This was refreshing great texturally.  Nice crunch from the veggies and there was some real spiciness at the end.  We also had the Yum Nua (Thai Beef Salad) and yah any salad with beef in it is fine by me!  Tender and moist, the slices of beef were completely seasoned with the combination of fish sauce, lime, sugar, Thai basil and bird's eye chili.  The spice level was perfect as it was flavourful without killing our taste buds.

Staying with appies, we had the Spring Rolls.  Typically, these are filled with mung bean vermicelli and a variety of veggies including cabbage.  Nothing-out-of-the-ordinary here as it was exactly stuffed with those components.  What made this good was that the veggies were still crunchy and vibrant rather than being mushy.  Great texture as well as the crunch from the wheat wrapper as well.  I only wished they drained the oil better as the bottom was quite greasy.

One of the more surprising items was the Stuffed Chicken Wings as I didn't expect them to appear as they did.  I was thinking would look like wings, but they were actually deboned, stuffed (with ground chicken, grass noodles and carrots) and then cut in half before deep-frying.  Not the prettiest things, but boy were they texturally appealing (with a uniform crunch) and delicious.  These were served with a sweet chili sauce much like the spring rolls.

Exhibiting great wok hei, the Pad Thai was excellent.  Noodles were still beautifully chewy while cooked through.  They weren't clumpy as the amount of moisture was just right keeping things slippery, but still somewhat dry.  We found smokiness and caramelization to go with the sweetness of the palm sugar and tanginess of the tamarind.  Spice level was just right too.  Prawns were meaty with a bounce and the bean sprouts were still crisp.

Served in a a fairly large portion, the Massaman Curry with Beef was impactful and packed with flavour.  This was due to the meshing of many non-Thai spices with commonly used Thai ingredients.  Therefore, we had the fragrance of spices that we associate with fall flavours combined with the usual lemongrass, galangal, coriander and shrimp paste.  This particular version was sweet, savoury and just a touch briny.  The beef was super tender and melted in our mouths.

The most surprising item we had was the Choo Chee Spring Salmon.  I was expecting overcooked salmon, but to our delight, it was tender and flaky (impressive for spring salmon!).  It sat in a rich red coconut curry sauce that was fragrant, sweet and creamy.  Overall, this meal at Thai Pud Pong was so much better than my original visit.  Mind you, that was 16 years ago.  I can tell you the portion sizes were larger than before too.  Would come back and not so long this time...

The Good:

- Impactful flavours

- Good wok hei

- Well-portioned

The Bad:

- Spring rolls were good but greasy

Elem (Tomato Tasting Menu)

Recently, I finally tried Elem's tasting menu or "Let us Cook for You" rather than ordering a la carte.  In reality, it was us two sharing a curated selection of plates instead of being served individual small dishes.  The meal was delicious and gave us a good overview of the menu and what Elem is all about.  So we returned to Elem a month later to experience their Tomato Tasting Menu, at the tail end of Tomato season.  Unlike our previous experience, this was an actual tasting menu.

Things started with the 3 "snacks" in the Stoney Paradise Gazpacho, Tuna Tomato Tartlet and Lamb Belly Skewer.  I sampled the gazpacho first and it was creamy and tangy.  There was considerable brightness and natural sweetness.  There seemed to be a layer of sweetness from onions and red pepper as well.  That tartlet featured bright and buttery soft tuna which contrasted beautifully with the crispy shell.  Even though the tomato was bright and tangy, it was subtle enough that it didn't overwhelm the delicate tuna.  We also found some earthy notes.  I was delighted to see the lamb skewer as that is one of my favourites at Elem.  This was fatty and melted in my mouth.  Sweet and sticky, the medjool date glaze was deeply sweet and further enhanced the flavour of the lamb.  

We moved onto the Aloo Chaat next.  It was herbaceous and tangy with sweet and sour notes from the pomegranate seeds, as well as some earthiness.  The Sungold tomatoes were supremely fresh and at the forefront of this dish.  However, the chaat was definitely potatoey (as the dish name suggests) with a certain creaminess.  There was a light crunch and nuttiness from the puffed rice. 

One of my favourite dishes of the meal was the Dungeness Crab Salad served in a whimsical crab shell plate.  This was more than appearances alone as the bevy of fluffy crab was the star in terms of texture and taste.  Loved the combination of briny, sweet, earthy, slight tang and background earthiness.  Pops of sweet bitterness from the pomelo was refreshing.  There was some crunch in there to give some texture and of course some tomato for brightness.

Our next course was another stunner in the Hokkaido Scallop sitting in a tomato kadhi.  The scallop itself was tender, buttery and rare in the middle.  On the outside, it was aggressively seared so there was smokiness and caramelization.  Loved the kadhi as it was spicy and earthy.  Tomato aachar was sweet and tangy.  It was a really punchy dish with lingering spice and impactful aromatics.

Next course was a beautiful Rotolo with a concentrated passata and kale cream underneath.  It was cooked down with only garlic, salt and pepper, hence it was pure tasting and clean.  It was complimented by the cavalo nero with earthiness.  The pasta itself was quite firm, but had a great mouth-feel.  Inside, it was stuffed with provolone, ricotta and pine nuts.  Really well-executed dish with on point textures and flavours.

Featuring a singular peeled tomato, the Tomato Farci was deceptively flavourful.  This was mainly due to the shell bisque made from a variety of shellfish.  With a bevy of Argentinian prawns this was heavily briny and sweet with a subtle tang.  The bulk of the tanginess was provided by the juicy tomato.  It burst with freshness as well as plenty of brightness.  There was a balance between the savoury bisque and the sweet tomato which was just right.  For a bit of crunch, we found some bubu arare on top.

Our final savoury item was the Shio Koji Tenderloin with lacto fermented tomato.  The slice of PEI Blue Dot tenderloin was prepared rare being buttery and tender.  The truffle demi was silky and only mildly earthy.  Loved that it was not salty.  Definitely sweet as well. Moreover, the corn atop the tender zucchini took the sweetness to another level.  We also had some squash puree that was silky and had an earthy sweetness.  That tomato was so juicy, almost like a grape. It provided the acidity needed to balance all the sweetness in this dish.

If you can see Mickey Mouse atop my palate cleanser, you aren't seeing things.  That is what I saw too with the Tomato Sorbet infused with strawberries.   Yes, I could taste the tomato in this, but they did a great job in making this fruity and tangy rather than sour.  At the same time, the sweetness was restrained. Definitely refreshing after the most heavy bite from the tasting menu.

Appropriately titled One Last Tomato, our dessert was made with tomato (of course).  This was comprised of sungolds that were marinated in red wine and a reduction of water and honey.  In the centre, there was a creamy and rich heirloom tomato ice cream.  It was tomato-forward, yet restrained.  We got a sweet caramel crunch from the praline.  There was also smokiness and nuttiness within the dessert too.  Those marinated tomatoes were explosions of juice and sweetness.

At the end, we were presented with some Mignardise sporting Chocolate Cream Puff, White Chocolate Fudge with Tomato Jam and Cookie with Dark Chocolate Drizzle.  These were nice little bites to finish off a fantastic tasting menu.  In fact, I believe this was the most consistent and well-thought-out meal I've ever had at Elem.  That is saying a lot since I've been there 11 times!  Chef Vish truly celebrated the in-season (at the time) tomatoes in many different and create ways.  The meal progression made sense and the flavours of tomato were unique and varied.  I can't wait for his next tasting menu!

The Good:
- Well thought-out menu
- Spot-on execution
- Flavours were not repetitive (despite the theme)

The Bad:
- Maybe not for those who don't like tomato? But really, they might even like it