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

Imran Halal Beef Noodle

For an amazing Asian food metropolitan such as the GRVD, we don't have as many hand-pulled noodle spots as one would imagine.  Refining the category even more so, there aren't many Halal beef hand-pulled noodle restaurants to choose from either.  Have no fear since Imran Halal Beef Noodle checks all the boxes with their location on Robson near Nicola.  The place is spacious for a noodle joint and features counter service which is quick and efficient.  All of their noodles are made-to-order, so they are as fresh as can be.

Prior to our noodle experience, we tried some of their smaller places first.  We had a trio of appetizers/sides dishes including Cold Mixed Wood Ear with Onion, Spicy & Sour Shredded Potato and Spicy Cucumber.  I thought these were solid with crunchy wood ear with a mild sweetness and potato being tender but still retaining a bite.  I would've liked to see a bit more spice though.  Cucumbers were crunchy and fresh with plenty of garlickiness.  We also had the Tea Egg and it was more or less standard being a bit overdone (no way to avoid this).  It did have initial flavour but could've used more.

We got two small meat appetizers in the Five-Spice Beef and the Shredded Peppercorn Chicken.  If we had known the beef would be same found in the soup noodle and the cold noodle, were would've opted for the spicy beef instead.  This one was a bit plain and needed some chili oil and vinegar (found on the table) to wake it up.  On the other hand, the chicken was had some numbing spice to go with some mild sweet and salty notes.  Loved the gelatinized texture of the skin.

There were 3 BBQ dishes available and we got all of them.  They were all well-seasoned with the usual spice mix including a good amount of cumin and a touch of spice.  We got the BBQ Beef Skewers in mild and they were pretty tasty.  The meat was tender with a good amount of spice but it wasn't spicy.  For the BBQ Lamb Skewers, we got it in spicy and there was just a bit more heat, but not significantly.  Meat was also tender and not really all that gamy.  The Roast Chicken Wing Skewers were almost juicy with somewhat rendered skin.  Flavours were similar to the beef.

We had a collection of hand-pulled noodle items and of course we had to get the Lanzhou Halal Beef Noodle.  It came out steaming hot with a broth that was daikon-forward with the unmistakable sweetness of the root vegetable.  It was on the saltier side, but combined with the noodles and the addition of chili oil, there was balance.  The slices of five-spice beef was no different than the one we got as an appie.  It varied between tender and fatty to a bit dry (with those slices with less fat).

Onto something without soup, we had the Lanzhou Cold Noodles.  This came on a large plate with a considerable amount of hand-pulled noodles.  They were chewy and since they were cold, the chew was more robust.  They were tossed with only a mild amount of seasoning and moisture.  Hence, they did get a bit clumpy if not manipulated right away.  There was some Taiwanese cauliflower and also broccoli for some veggie content.  They were crunchy and vibrant.  Not sure of the five spice beef could've been better off mixed in rather than sitting on top?

For our fried noodle, we got both the Noodles with Stir-Fried Cumin Beef as well as the Noodles with Stir-Fried Cumin Lamb.  Once again, the freshly hand-pulled noodles had a remarkable chew to them and that in itself was pleasing.  Theere was some wok hei with caramalized flavours and pepperiness.  Of course the cumin really came through with both plates of noodles.  Overall, the food at Imran was delicious, freshly-made and served in generous portions.  The place was pretty full while we were there on a weeknight and it further reinforces it as a solid place for hand-pulled noodles in Downtown Vancouver.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Texturally on point hand-pulled noodles (made to order)

- Large portions

- Great for people who are on a Halal diet

The Bad:

- Since they hand-pull the noodles to order, you must be patient (but worth it)

- Some pieces of the five-spice beef were dry

Sumu

One look on the outside, Sumu on Burrard appears to be some high-end, boogie restaurant.  Well, it certainly isn't low end, but in reality, it is only a moderately-priced place that dishes up a mix of cuisines.  Upon entering, you will be greeted with a more elevated "Big Way" setup where you can pick-your-own-ingredients and broth.  Then perusing the menu, the most prominent section is their large assortment of Yakitori and other grilled skewers.  Completing the menu, we have Mini-Donburis and also Japanese "Izakaya-like" dishes to share.  A little bit strange for sure, yet, I always have an open mind.

Starting with the Yakitori (different grilled chicken parts), we had several skewers including the Lemongrass Pork Shoulder (grilled skewer, not Yakitori), Red Date Glazed Chicken, Chicken Heart and House Tsukune.  The pork shoulder was tender and almost juicy with strong hits of lemongrass.   Really enjoyed the red date chicken as it really did capture the sweetness of the date.  Chicken was succulent.  Chicken hearts were a little overdone, but still had an appealing chewiness.  Could've used a bit more salt.  We found the chicken meatballs to be a bit crumbly, but chock full of white and green onion notes.

Next set of skewers consisted of Premium Grade Certified Angus Beef, Enoki wrapped in Beef Rolls and Honey Glazed Pork Jowl.  This was a really great selection of grilled meats where the Angus Beef was served in large pieces and turned out to be supremely tender.  They were well-seasoned with lots of natural beef flavour.  The enoki beef wraps were also good with juicy meat encasing just enough enoki.  Pork jowl had that unmistakeable bounciness that was also a bit smoky.

Our last set featured Garlic Butter Prawns, Miso-Glazed Sablefish and Citrus-Charred Chicken Wings.  Butterflied and topped with flavourful garlic butter, the prawns were sweet and meaty.  As expected, the sablefish was fatty and flaky being buttery soft.  The skin was crispy while the miso on top added some fermented saltiness.  With crispy and fairly rendered skin, the wings were slightly dry, but had some nice smokiness to go with the brightness of citrus.

We ended up trying 3 of the Mini-Dons including the Grilled Unagi & Mango, Grilled Scallop and Salmon Oyako.  Yes, these were not very big, however, there was much more topping than rice.  Hence, every spoonful had a considerable amount of impact from the components.  I particularly enjoyed the diced unagi as it was sauced just enough and buttery soft.  The mango offered up some sweet tang to brighten things up.  The grilled bay scallops could've been a bit more rare, but they were still soft and sweet.  I found the salmon to be texturally on point, but maybe a bit more seasoning would've helped.

Onto the pick-your-own-ingredients Hot Pot, we had roughly a pound each which cost around $25.00 ($4.19/100g).  For mine, I went for the Red Curry which was fragrant and a bit creamy.  It wasn't overly spicy, which would appeal to most people.  Jackie had the Tom Yum Broth and it was appealingly sour with lemongrass and galangal notes with just a touch of spice.  Of course there was a help-yourself sauce bar that included the usual components as well as some fruit and veggies.  Overall, our experience at Sumu was rather interesting as they combined 3 different restaurant concepts into one.  Usually, this is a recipe for disaster but in some strange sense, it worked.  It gives people options and the pricing is reasonable.  Worth a try.

*Partial food credit was given for this blog post*

The Good:
- Three restaurants in one and it isn't bad
- Nice dining space
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Menu can be a bit confusing for some

Amber Road

What if I told you there is this new stylish European restaurant that features cuisine inspired by the ancient trade route connecting the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean?  Head Chef and owner Jarek Jaroslaw has crafted a menu that touches everywhere from the Mediterranean to Eastern Europe.  Consider this, would you believe it is located in the Holiday Inn & Suites Vancouver Downtown?   Yes, it isn't the first place that comes to mind when guessing its location.  That would probably explain the inclusion of some more recognizable North American dishes and breakfast on the menu.  However, we came here to experience the unique cuisine at Amber Road!

We started off with things I've never had before including the Elk Pyzy Of The Northern Forest which were Polish potato dumplings filled with elk and sauced with light cream, bacon and chanterelles.  These were stealthily delicious as they initially didn't give away how flavourful they would be.  Once past the soft potato casing, we found tender and surprisingly non-gamy elk.  But the strongest part was the aromatic woodsiness of the plentiful chanterelles combined with the cream and salty bacon.

Another surprising item was the Polish Croquettes because they didn't look like how I envisioned what would be classified as a croquette.  Featuring folded golden crêpes filled with mushrooms, spinach and cheese, these reminded me more like a spanakopita (at least the filling that is).  Oh and how delicious was that filling...  It was creamy and cheesy with tender spinach and the umami of mushrooms.  The exterior was crispy and light.  This was served with traditional red borscht on the side.  It was earthy, sweet and tangy.

Something much more recognizable was the Arancini Dell'ambra.  These were quite massive and featured a slightly crispy breading that was seasoned.  Inside, the risotto was somewhere between firm and soft, so it was quite easy to eat and had silky texture.  There was plenty of cheese inside that was melted and quite stringy.  Underneath, the marinara sauce was tangy with a bit of sweetness.

Another classic dish was the Mediterranean Calamari.  This one is the Italian version and really, it has been debated if the fried version is Italian or Greek.  Well, both have grilled, stewed and fried dishes.  Whatever the case, this was good where the calamari was tender with a slight rebound texture.  The light batter was crispy and properly seasoned.  It came with a lemon aioli and a fresh herb tartar sauce.  Both were good, and depended on whether you liked a tangier dip or more herbaeceous one.

I'm pretty sure the Galician Free-Range Chicken Wings were on the menu to satisfy local tastes.  However, with us choosing the Mediterranean herb flavour, it could be considered Hungarian-style.  Of course one could order them as BBQ, garlic or Buffalo-style as well.  These were well-prepared wings with a crispy exterior and rendered skin.  No flabby skin on these ones and they were well-seasoned too.  Inside, the meat was tender and moist.

Our last appetizer or small plate was the Rollatini Di Melanzane which consisted of baked eggplant rolls stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella in a marinara sauce.  This was quite familiar as it had similar elements to an eggplant parmigiana.  I happen to love that dish and this was no exception.  It had a tangy tomato sauce with plenty of ricotta and melted mozzarella on top.  The slices of eggplant were tender, but not mushy.

Onto our main dishes, we had the Amber Road Cheeseburger.  Once again, this was mainly catered for those less adventurous.  However, it was a solid burger with a nicely charred grass-fed beef patty that was lean and meaty.  Some melted Swiss cheese helped add some European content while the portobello mushroom provided another layer of meatiness and earthiness.  That thick-cut bacon was lean with big flavour.  This could be had with a beer for only $20.00 on Tuesdays!

Heading over to Executive Chef Jaroslaw Faryna's native Poland, we had the Galician Pierogis.  These were really good with a thin dumpling wrapper that was tender with appealing elasticity.  Inside, we found a creamy and soft potato and cheese filling which was plenty flavourful on its own.  However, it sat on a bed of creamy and thick sour cream while topped with crispy guanciale.  Classic salty bacon vibes with sour cream.

Sitting in a rich champagne and saffron cream with fresh herbs, the Mediterranean Lobster Ravioli featured a firm house-made pasta that was still cooked through.  I found the filling slightly dense, but still impactful in terms of lobster essence.  I found the sauce to be heavy, so a little went a long way.  I did like the addition of champagne as it provided a bit of brightness.  The little smattering of ikura did add little pops of brininess.

Going with some of the biggest hits, we head to Austria with the Viennese Schnitzel.  This was a pretty thick piece of pork cutlet which was quite meaty and firm.  The breading was not too thick and fairly crispy.  It was topped with a runny sunny side egg and bacon.  That in itself made things a bit breakfast-like, but hey, that is how I like it!  We found tender red cabbage and hasselback potatoes complementing the schnitzel.

One of my favourites from the meal was the Crown Roast of Lamb.  This featured 4 Frenched lamb chops that were grilled to about medium.  They were juicy and super tender.  Maybe it is because I love eating lamb that I didn't consider it too gamy.  Although properly seasoned and sauced, the carrot-ginger puree really added a bright sweetness and bite.  On the side, we found a beautiful potato gratin that was layered with tender slices that had crispy edges.

Arriving with 2 really large and meaty bones, the Braised BBQ Ribs had some Romanian inspiration with a smoky tomato coffee sauce.  This had plenty of depth with the smoked paprika and slight aromatic bitterness of the coffee.  The ribs super tender where the meat had not shrunk considerably.  This way, it retained more moisture and the meat maintained its structure and didn't tighten up.  This was served with some fries and slaw.

One of the more surprising dishes was the Classic Beef Wellington.  Despite the flaky pastry being a touch dense in spots, the entirety of Wellington was well-executed.  Firstly, the beef tenderloin was a perfect medium-rare.  It was soft with its juices intact.  I know this might be bold to say, but I enjoyed this one more than Gordon Ramsey's version at the River Rock (mind you, the one in Vegas was better).  Veggies were also good being cooked just enough.

Onto the sweets, we tried all of them including the Limoncello Tiramisu.  Loved the light and creamy mascarpone that was balanced in terms of sweetness.  Ladyfingers were soft and moist without being soggy.  Of course the bright citrus flavour of the limoncello was welcomed as well as just a touch of booziness.  Some lemon rind on top provide an extra hit of lemon and slight bitterness.

Hands-down, my favourite dessert was the Flambéed Crêpe à La Mode.  The thin and tender crêpe was delicate with an appealing elasticity.  It was buttery and caramelized.  Inside, we found some sweet slices of apple and pear.  On the outside, this was topped with a black currant compote and a scoop of ice cream.  Sure, with all these components, the dessert ate on the sweeter side, but it was still balanced.

One can't get anymore classic than a Crème Brûlée.  This was indeed a textbook version with a silky custard that was aromatic but not all that sweet.  Perfect really since it allowed the on point torched layer of sugar on top to do the heavy-lifting.  That it did with a proper thickness and uniform texture.  It cracked with a firm strike with our spoon.  There was definite caramel vibes and just the slightest of smokiness.

Finally, we had the Panna Cotta that was beautifully presented.  The panna cotta itself was silky and soft without being too firm nor dense.  It was semi-sweet and sat atop a sweet raspberry sauce and berry sorbet.  Loved the textural contrast of the thin cookie accents on the side.  Overall, the food at Amber Road was interesting and diverse.  Sure, there are some universally recognizable hotel menu items, but hey, they need to take care of every customer.  For me, I would go for the unique items and experience the European touches Chef Jaroslaw Faryna incorporates into every dish.  Very large portions here also.  Best to bring some friends and share.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- The unique European dishes stand out

- Large portions

- Comfortable and upscale dining space

The Bad:

- To satisfy all customers, there is forced fusion of more recognizable dishes (totally understandable being in a mainstream hotel)