Loula's

Just like most cuisines outside of North America, Greek food is served family-style.  Up until recently, it was pretty much accepted that someone would order a honking huge dish of roast lamb with rice, potatoes, veggies, tzatziki and pita.  Well, thankfully, we are seeing a trend towards sharing plates.  Actually, this has been happening for quite some time, but it seems to be popular across the board.  That brings us to Loula's on Commercial Drive.  They belong to the same group as Nammos and Selene Aegean, where yes, they do promote sharing plates.

We began the sharing with the Mediterranean Dips featuring hummus, tarama, smoked eggplant spicy feta and tzatziki.  Beyond these dips, the star of the show was the pita.  They were well-charred with a slightly crispy exterior and a fluffy chewy centre.  Dips were great too with a well-seasoned hummus that had some texture to go with the blended smoothness.  As expected, the tarama was a bit briny and tangy.  Loved the eggplant dip as it was indeed smoky with some spice.

Another delicious mezze was the Spanakopita.  Loved the colour on the phyllo pastry.  It wasn't only aesthetically-pleasing, as it was crispy and plenty aromatic and nutty.  Inside, the spinach and feta filling was delicate but not mushy.  Loved the added sweetness of honey as it balanced everything out.  Extra feta on the side allowed things to be creamier.

We got more of that awesome grilled pita with our order of Saganaki.  As much as the pita was great with the fried sheep's cheese, I thought this dish could've been better.  It was not as as golden brown uniformly as I would've liked.  Even the bottom was somewhat pale.  Despite this, the cheese itself was still crispy on the outside and a bit nutty.  

Next up was a great portion of Calamari.  This featured a good mix of tubes and tentacles.  They were lightly dusted and ended up to be golden and crispy.  Seasoning was a bit aggressive and the texture of the squid was tender with a nice chewiness.  I particularly enjoyed the tentacles as they have more bite.  The tzatziki underneath was creamy and bright.

We ended up with both the Chicken Souvlaki and the Tiger Prawn Souvlaki.  They were properly grilled where the charring was evident in both appearance and taste.  As for the chicken, it remained tender and juicy.  The prawns were aromatic and had a meaty snap texture.  Both were well-seasoned with the pepperiness of oregano.  Once again, the tangy tzatziki was a nice compliment.

Normally, Jackie and Eileen don't eat lamb, but since they know I love lamb, they ordered the Roast Lamb Shoulder (Arni Psito).  Turns out they ended up trying some as it was really good!  The generous portion was super tender and gelatinous while benefitting from the smokiness of the char.  The Lamb Jus that came with it was full of depth, but a bit salty.  It sat on a bed of smooth mashed potatoes and grilled broccolini and zucchini.

To compliment the lamb, we had the Patates which were robust and slightly charred in spots.  I enjoyed these as they were soft and creamy with the essence of rosemary.  Furthermore, the seasoning on them was impactful without being salty (could've used a bit more lemon).  Possibly, the sear/char on them could've been more even as well.

I was happy that they had Ekmek on the menu as it is one of my favourite Greek desserts.  This one was excellent as it was served really cold, hence it had some semi-freddo vibes to it.  It was creamy and sweet, but not too sweet.   Beyond the almost frozen whipped cream, the custard was firm too but still had a velvety texture.  The phyllo at the bottom added some light crispiness.  Overall, our meal at Loula's was quite good.  Their Mezze are on point and their souvlaki are cooked beautifully.  A good option for Greek on The Drive.

The Good:

- Food as a whole is solid

- Charring on the pita and souvlaki are excellent

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Some dishes were a bit salty

Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle

I'm sure many of you have heard about the recent closure of Chef Hung's Richmond location after 17 years in business at Aberdeen Centre.  That means there are only two locations left at SFU and UBC.  If you've ever read any reviews about the UBC store, there are some real concerns about serious mismanagement.  I haven't been to this location for quite some time, so it was a bit surprising to see the place go downhill since my last visit.  Mercifully, they are now under new management that is committed to sharpening up their operations.  Jackie and dropped by to see for ourselves.

On the surface, things were operating as usual and there was a decent amount of business considering we were there at 3:00pm on a weekend.  Before we got to the noodles, we had some smaller items in the Braised Pork Hock, Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets and Marinated Egg.  Served in large pieces, the pork hock was the ideal texture.  The gelatinized skin as tender and underneath, the fat and tendon were buttery and soft.  Seasoning was mild, yet effective where the pork flavour wasn't too strong.  Rather, we had a good balance of salty and sweet.  Chicken Nuggets were also large while lightly coated.  They were crispy and well-seasoned with the classic salty-peppery vibes (and a touch of five-spice).  Inside, the dark meat was juicy.  As for the eggs, they were flavourful, but since they were fully done (typical for this type of egg), it was rubbery and had that grey ring.  Still good though!

Another trio of side dishes consisted of Boiled Broccoli, Cold Mixed Baby Cucumbers and Marinated Pig's Ear.  Even though we had broccoli in some of the dishes already, we felt more veggies wouldn't hurt.  They were cooked just right being still a bit crunchy.  Also crunchy, the cucumbers were refreshing and nicely marinated.  Really enjoyed the stacked, then sliced pig's ear as they were gelantious and had a light crunch from the cartilage.  Once again, the braising liquid added umaminess to the pig's ear and of course some sweetened soy vibes.

As you can see in the picture above, the Marinated Beef Roll was fairly large and completely stuffed.  The pancake itself was slightly crispy on its surfaces while the pastry had a bite.  It could've been a bit more flaky though. Inside, the ample sliced beef shank was a bit thick, yet still plenty tender.   I wished there was more hoisin though (but you can ask for more).  The matchstick cucumbers were fresh and added a bright crunch.

We got 2 of their Deep Fried Ginger Chicken Wings and they were the whole wing including the dummette and tip.  They were uniformly golden brown which also meant the skin was fairly crispy.  It was also rendered well, so there wasn't any flabby parts.  Loved the marinated meat as it was juicy, tender and slightly gelatinous.  As promised, there was a nice gingery hit as well.

Onto the dishes we were really here for - The Taiwanese Beef Noodles!  We had one each of the Award-Winning Beef Shank, Tendon & Tripe with Noodle in Soup and Champion Beef Shank with Noodle in Soup and .  These 2 bowls were very similar except for the former having thick noodles and the latter having thin noodles.  Naturally, the former had 2 extra items.  The soup itself was quite good with a solid beef presence.  It had depth-of-flavour and sweetness with just a subtle hint of spice.  Noodles were al dente with the thick noodles being extra chewy (in a good way).  I think the thin noodles picked up more of the soup flavour though.  Meats were tender with the tendon being soft and gelatinous.  Tripe was soft while retaining a mild chewiness.   I thought the beef shank was more tender than the brisket, but that was because of the braised connective tendons.

Moving onto 2 different types of beef noodle, we had the Champion Beef Brisket with Noodle in Clear Soup as well as the Champion Braised Beef with Noodle in Tomato Soup.  With the clear soup, it was certainly clean-tasting and naturally mild with some sweetness.  The brisket was a bit drier here, yet not too chewy.  We also found a few slices of tender beef that were quite delicious.  I have to say that the tomato soup was not as strong as I would've liked.  It definitely had the essence of tomato and we also found some fresh grape tomatoes too, but I wanted more tang.  The braised beef was fall-apart tender and had a rich braised flavour.

We had one more noodle that was similar to the first 2 but also somewhat different as well.  This was the Braised Beef Tendon & Shank with Noodle in Green Pepper Soup.  Despite not appearing to be any different, the soup was distinct.  There was definitely more spiciness (but not too strong) as well as a background numbing.  It was slightly tangy and a bit green tasting (despite the soup looking brown)

In addition to their large selection of beef noodles, they have rice bowls as well.  We ended up trying the Taiwanese-Style Deep Fried Chicken Cutlet and also the Deep Fried Pork Chop.  As you can see, both were similar except that the pork chop had some braised pork underneath.  This meant the rice was saucier and more robust from the rich meat flavours.  Both had a crispy coating and the typical Taiwanese seasoning of salt, white pepper and five spice.  Meats were juicy and tender, especially the thick dark meat chicken.  Overall, the food at Chef Hung was what I expected.  It was solid and considering the cost of food these days, reasonably-priced.  I like that they are trying to improve the service and overall experience because that was an issue with this location.

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

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Reasonable pricing

- Portions were fair too

The Bad:

- Decor is a bit worn

- Smaller location with limited seating

La Terraza (Happy Hour)

As mentioned in my previous post, many people are looking for value these days when it comes to dining out.  Hence we see the increasing popularity of all-you-can-eat (AYCE) as well as the veritable Happy Hour.  There are quite a few options in the GVRD with many being at chain restaurants.  However, did you know that a fine dining spot has a rather affordable Happy Hour that features some appealing items?  La Terrazza has been a Yaletown staple since it opened in 1998 and yes, they have a Happy Hour menu from 5:00pm - 7:00pm.  Only 19+ as it is only served in the bar area.

Jackie and I dropped by prior to a concert at Rogers Arena.  We began with the 1/2 Dozen Oysters.  Totally wasn't paying attention to what was the type, but they were definitely Westcoast.  Small like kusshis, these were clean-tasting, a bit briny and pretty sweet.  They were shucked properly with no shell fragments.  Condiments included yuzu pink peppercorn vinaigrette, horseradish, hot sauce and lemon.

Staying with cold, we also had the Chilled Tiger Prawn Cocktail.  These were prepared well being cooked just enough where the bounciness of the prawns were cold-water crunchy.  This was served with a horseradish rose sauce that was tangy and slightly sweet with a bite at the end.  Now if that wasn't your fancy, there was also a seared half-lemon too.

Still with the cold appies, we had the Beef Carpaccio served with a side of freshly-baked fontina flatbread.  This was a competent version where the Angus Reserved beef tenderloin was tender and moist.  Possibly, there could've been a bit more condiments to this, but the black truffle vinaigrette did have impact with its tangy woodsiness.  Loved the flatbread as it was warm and slightly crispy.  Plenty of nuttiness as well.

We moved onto some pastas including the Gnocchi al Forno.  Baked with plenty of mozzarella on top, this was plenty cheesy and robust.  We found the gnocchi to be good where they were soft, but not too much so that there wasn't any texture.  As for the San Marzano tomato sauce, it was nicely balanced where it was naturally sweet with only a bit of tanginess.  Lots of depth and it was bright.

Our favourite dish of this Happy Hour menu was the Strozzapretti Bolognese.  Starting with the pasta, the shaped held onto the sauce effectively.  On top of that, the texture was spot on where it was tender, but had a firm bite as well.  Oh and the bolognese, it was so delicious.  Just slightly creamy, but plenty tomatoey, the cooked down meat was tender and full of umami.  I could eat a few of these myself!

Just to round out our meal, I just had to get the Truffle Parmesan Fries.  Yah, probably other things to order off the menu, but I just love fries!  These were serviceable being crispy and well-salted.  The star of the dish was indeed the truffle aioli.  super creamy and nutty.  Overall, the Happy Hour menu at La Terrazza is a steal in my opinion.  In this economy, it is nice to see we can still have a meal with quality ingredients for an affordable price.  Located in Yaletown too!

The Good:

- Affordable, especially for Downtown

- Lovely setting and service

- High-quality food

The Bad:

- Only in the bar area, so pretty dark and limited in space

Alchemy (Happy Hour)

Considering the state of the economy, dining out is now considered a real luxury (if it wasn't before).  Hence, that is one of the first things that is cut out of people's budgets.  Yet, there are ways to save some money and still dine out - taking advantage of Happy Hour menus.  We've seen many of them including those at chain restaurants such as Cactus Club, Earls and Tap & Barrel.  We also find them at many independent restaurants too and that brought us to Alchemy in Yaletown.  Located at the end of Mainland, it is a bit hidden as compared to the rest of the businesses.

What drew me to their happy hour menu was the fair pricing especially for Yaletown.  We started off with the Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip served in a beautiful tree trunk platter.  Surrounded by multi-coloured tortilla chips, we found a ramekin filled with dip.  They delivered on the promise of cheesy where it was stringy and fairly thick.  Really solid cheese dip and we actually needed more chips to dust it off.

For $15.95, we felt the Beef Carpaccio was a good value.  It came with a large piece of pizza bread that was soft with an appealing chew.  The thinly-sliced beef tenderloin was tender and dressed with arugula, shaved Grana Padano, capers, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.  Nice balance of acidity, tang, saltiness and nuttiness.  Solid dish.

One dish that was just okay was the Smoked Salmon Bruschetta.  I'm not even sure if this is on the menu anymore either.  In actuality, there was nothing wrong with the individual components as the crostinis were crunchy, yet not too hard while the tomato and basil mix was tangy, sweet and bright.  I just didn't think it went particularly well with the salmon.

The best deal and also the best thing on the Happy Hour menu in my opinion is the Classic Cheeseburger for $15.95.  Even though it was on special, the burger was still a good size and it included crispy fries.  We found the beef patty to be juicy and tender with a nice sear on the surface.  The tomato and lettuce was fresh and the brioche bun was soft.  Solid burger.

We had one of their pizzas in the form of the Capricciosa with Tomato sauce, mushroom, mozzarella, smoked ham, artichoke, sliced black olives, bocconcini, oregano and grana padano.  This was fully loaded with not only all of the above ingredients, but the amount of cheese was generous.  That meant each slice was meaty, saucy, cheesy and flavourful.  The pizza crust was fairly crispy with a chewy interior.

Another item off the regular menu, we had the Spaghetti Carbonara.  This was also quite good with lots of rendered bacon and nutty parm.  Hence, this was bordering on salty, but didn't go over that line.  Pasta was al dente and was fully coated.  Overall, the food at Alchemy was pretty solid, especially for the price.  Given its Downtown location, the Happy Hour menu is a good value and features some appealing items such as the burger and artichoke dip.  Would come here again.

The Good:

- Well-priced

- Solid eats

- Decent portion sizes

The Bad:

- Location is at the far West end of Yaletown, so far from the action (could be good for some people though)

Selene Aegean Bistro

Here we go with another restaurant on my "to eat at" list but it has taken me until now to actually pay them a visit.  When Bluebeard and Nikita wanted to meet up for dinner, it was as good as any time to suggest Selene Aegean Bistro out on Pentiction at Hastings.  Not be confused with Chez Celine out on Fraser, this place features a Mediterranean menu as its name suggests.  We really loved the front facade of the place as it created the right atmosphere even before we set foot inside.  After discussing what to have on the menu, we ended up with their Tasting Menu for $80.00 per person.

Things got off on the right foot with a trio of items including Babaganoush.  We found the eggplant to be silky smooth and quite pleasant with a touch of earthiness.  We would've liked to see a bit more smokiness though.  It went really well with the fresh pita as it contrasted the crispiness of the pita (where it was fluffy inside).  

With much more impact, the Tirosalata had plenty of kick from the fermented red chilis as well as a balancing amount of tanginess.  It was also slightly creamy from the feta and of course nuttiness from the walnuts.  Although not as prominent in size, the small cup of Stuffed Olives was impactful.  Beyond the initial briny and tangy notes, the creaminess of the feta really came through.  

Lastly, the Amberjack Crudo was a pleasant dish with meaty slices of fish in a strawberry ouzo broth.  Nice sweetness with only a touch of licorice.  As amberjack can typically be, it started off with a fairly firm texture, but it got much softer as I chewed it.  The slices of jalapeno were thin and did not overwhelm the fish.  Rather it gave the necessary bite for impact.

Second course featured Horiatiki and Mussels.  As you may already know, I rarely fawn over a salad.  However, the tomato-forward horiatiki was magnificent.  The fresh tomatoes were plump and the marinated ones were sweet like candy.  These were balanced off by the pickled onions and some olives as well as some creamy red wine feta.  Consisting of plump out-of-the-shell mussels, these sat in a spicy loukaniko butter.  So many layers of flavour here including briny, sweet, nutty and of course spiciness.  Some freshly-shaved fennel added crunch and brightness. The toasted and oiled olive focaccia was the perfect thing to sop up all of the sauce.   

Since Nikita cannot have any gluten, they were able to make the Kalamari with potato starch for the Kalamari to accommodate.  Honestly, if no one told me this was gluten-free, I would've accepted it as the standard dish.  I found it really good with tender squid with a nice bite while the coating was firmly crispy.  That tzatziki was money with notable dill hits and purposeful tanginess.

Third course had the bigger dishes in the Arctic Char and Bavette Steak.  This set of dishes were okay, but not as good as the the first two courses.  We found the Arctic Char to have a uniformly crispy skin that was well-seasoned, but the fish itself was a bit overdone.  It wasn't dry though, so still pretty good.  Underneath, we found spinach sitting in an avgolemono which had a nice viscosity and brightness.  As much as I enjoyed the ezme underneath (which was tangy, mildly spicy and earthy), the Bavette Steak was not as tender as we would've liked.  It was prepared a perfect medium-rare though and properly rested.  Loved the white anchovies and pickled pearl onions on top as it added some brininess to the dish.

The side of triple cooked Patatas were super crunchy and nutty with creamy potatoey insides.  Loved the creamy feta mayo on the side.  Smoky with slight bitterness, the Oyster Mushroom Souvlaki was sitting on a bed of walnut skordalia, which was thick (from the bread), nutty and tangy.  I didn't mind it, but others at the table thought it tasted off.

Onto dessert, we were served the Mahalepi and Amygdalota Ice Cream Sandwich.  We really enjoyed the ice cream sandwich as the tahini ice cream was nutty, sweet and nicely sweetened by the honey caramel.  The almond cookie had a crumbly crunch and of course nuttiness.  The fig-infused pannacotta to be smooth and silky with just the right consistency.  The macerated strawberries add a sweet tanginess while the brown sugar kataifi (served on the side) added crunchiness.  Overall, it was a pleasant meal at Selene.  We felt the prices were reasonable for the amount and quality of food we were served.

The Good:

- Generally delicious food

- Well-priced

- The calamari

The Bad:

- Steak was not as tender as we would've liked