OiSo (Popup Tasting Menu at Stackhouse Steak Sandwiches)

Sometimes, what you see is not what it seems.  That is true for many things such as Save-On-Foods being rather expensive (irony in the name).  Anyways, from the outside, Stackhouse looks like a sandwich shop (which is it).  However, for those who don't know, owner Eric Lee is a French-trained chef who has worked at Le Crocodile.  That would explain his delicious beef tartare sandwich!  Damso is another establishment that he worked at, so his experience and range are extensive.  So it wouldn't be as surprising at first glance that he as cooked up a Korean fusion tasting menu.  The surprising part is that it is being served at Stackhouse on Abbott after it is closed.  We were invited to give this a go.

Our first course was the Acorn Jelly in a kimchi dashi.  Tender and slippery, the acorn jelly still had a bite left.  Dashi was refreshing and balanced with tanginess, sweetness, spiciness and aromatics from the sesame oil.  Naturally, the kimich gave out fermented vibes with just a slight funk.  There was crunch from the cucumber and radish.  Roasted sesame seeds added another layer of nuttiness.

Next course featured a Taco with pulled pork.  I found the pulled pork to be moist with a natural meaty texture.  There was definite sweetness with noticeable smokiness.  We found some crunch with the pork cracklings on top.  Some tanginess and a bit lighter crunch came in the form of pickled onions.  One of the more interesting ingredients was the sesame leaf which was earthy and herbaceous.

Onto a fairly straight-forward dish, we had the Beef Tartare.  There was quail's egg in the mix and hence, offered up some silkiness.  In general, this tartare was buttery smooth with only mild seasoning.  The natural beef flavour came though, but I would've liked to see more aggressiveness with the tartare components.  We did find Asian pear and garlic shoots that provided clean sweetness as well as sharpness.  Loved the fife bread on the side.

No Korean-themed tasting menu would be complete without Kimchi right?  This came with a question mark though as it was a re-imagined dish with butter-roasted kimchi.  It was crunchy with freshness that was tangy, sweet and spicy.  We found a smooth and silky Hollandaise that acted like a kewpie mayo.  The addition of roasted brussels sprouts made for another layer of crunch.  We found some shaved pork bushi on top that subbed in for bonito flakes.

With a large piece of local uni on top, the Ramyeun sat in a dwenjang cream.  The noodles were supremely al dente with a wonderful chew that had nice elasticity.  Although the sauce was creamy, it wasn't overly heavy where it had the classic fermented soybean finish. There was a certain brightness that was only aided by the clean sweet taste of the fresh uni.  Some crunch was evident from the diced water chestnuts.

Sporting a large bowl of burdock rice with aster and bellflower root, we found the Land & Sea.  We all know what was land, but the sea part of the dish was scallop, clam and squid dressed in a sweet glaze.  In addition to nori sheets, we also found gamtae gim (green lattice seaweed).  Much like the clam bibimbap at a pocha, we used the seaweed to combine the rice and seafood to create a delicious bite.

There was actually excess rice from the previous dish, but it was perfect to go with the Kalbee.  Sporting a large piece of 24-hour braised shortrib with rice cake, carrots and potato.  Meat was fatty and fall-apart tender.  Lots of natural meatiness with sweetness from the root veggies.  Again, combined with the rice, it was a comforting and hearty dish.

Finally, we arrived at our last course, which was the Snowman.  This shaved ice was flavoured with yuzu and complimented by pieces of dalgona.  This was definitely sweet, but had balancing citrus.  Crunchy bits of dalgona provided a caramelized crunch.  Overall, this was a delicious meal with Korean and French influences (a taco too) which reflects Chef Eric Lee's training and experience.  Tentatively, this tasting menu will be priced at $85.00 and it is a fantastic meal at a reasonable price.  Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming pop-up dinners on their Instagram page!

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

The Good:
- Nice blend of Korean flavours with French dishes
- Things were prepared properly
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Tartare could've been seasoned more aggressively

 

 

Aureliana

Due to the dominance of Asian cuisine in the GVRD, we are not blessed with a wide selection of ol' skool-type diners.  You know, the ones with the jukebox, checkered decor and red vinyl seats...  You'd have to travel a bit out of Vancouver proper to find one except for a select few.  There is a newish one on Hastings in Downtown though and it is more of a modern interpretation of a diner, but hey, I'll take it! Jackie and I were invited to try some of their wares and we didn't need to be asked twice!

Due to our impending indulgence with a variety of diner favourites, we did a preemptive strike and got something green in the Rocket Salad.  Naturally, this featured arugula (where rocket is from the French word roquette), pear and pistachio in a lemon dressing.  The arugula was fresh with it's classic pepperiness while balanced off by the sweet tang of the vinaigrette.  We got some more textures from the pear as well as the pistachio.

We were recommended the Mac & Cheese and it delivered.  First of all, the macaroni was firmly al dente, which meant there was texture.  Secondly, there was plenty of cheesiness, but not in a saucy way.  Rather, it had a thick and gooey consistency which had the sharpness of aged white cheddar and slight stringiness of mozzarella.  There was a bit of processed cheese product for saltiness and creaminess.  Some garlic breadcrumb on top provided texture.

One of my favourite items from this meal was the Reuben with pastrami, sauerkraut, signature mustard and Swiss on rye.  For $15.00, we thought this was a good value since they weren't shy about piling on slices of tender and buttery pastrami.  There was also uniformly melted Swiss with just a bit of sauerkraut.  Hence, the sandwich ate full-flavoured without being overly sour.  Even the mustard spread was just enough on the toasted rye.

We also had their 2nd most popular sandwich - Tuna Melt.  This featured light tuna, olive oil, lemon, parsley and American cheese.  As you can see in the picture above, the bread was evenly seared on the flattop being crunchy and deliciously buttery (maybe a bit too buttery?).  Inside, the tuna was super moist with a balanced amount of mayo.  It had enough seasoning for impact and the lemon provided some tangy brightness to counteract the butter.  However, I would've loved even more lemon.

Overflowing with sauteed mushrooms, the Mushroom Burger was tasty.  I found the burger patty had a great maillard with a nice sear and crispy edges.  Inside, the patty was still just a touch pink and plenty moist too.  It was completely covered in melted Swiss and a bunch of onions on top.  This help add a bunch of textures that complimented the soft brioche bun.  Naturally, the thing that stood out was the ample amount of buttery and well-seasoned mushrooms.  Tying it altogether, we had some signature mayo. 

We tried one more burger in the Luna with beef patty, grilled hot dog, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, jalapeno, onion and signature mayo.  This was one hearty creation with the same moist patty as the previous burger.  The combination of bacon, hot dog and melted American cheese made things a bit salty, but the onions, jalapeno and lettuce did help balance things out.  Fortunately, we had a few drinks to wash this all down...

Those drinks happened to be the Vanilla Milkshake and the Root Beer Float.  Thick, creamy and sweet, the milkshake was classic in both texture and taste.  It was well-blended and we could drink it through the straw no problem.  Some amaretti crumble added crunch.  As for the float, it brought back memories of yesteryear.  Of course it was sweet as well, but the combination of woodsy and earthy root beer with sweet vanilla ice cream just went down really well.  Perfect to go with the saltiness of the Luna.

Even though we arrived in the late afternoon, we were still able to try a few breakfast items including the Golden Breakfast featuring pancakes, bacon, fried egg and maple syrup.  These thick and well-seared pancakes were fluffy with a bit of firmness.  Loved the buttery crust that was flavourful and provided texture.  Of course the maple syrup was the perfect compliment, but the crispy bacon did its thing too offsetting the sweetness.  Fried egg still had a runny yolk and that added to fun. 

One last breakfast item we tried was the French Toast with vanilla and lemon custard as well as mascarpone cream.  The well-soaked brioche was custardy and ate like bread pudding.  It was aromatic and sweet with just a bit of tang.  It was also seared enough so that the colour was appealing and caramelization had occurred. Lots of butter really helped this become pretty decadent.  Loved this dish, I would gladly have it many times over.  

We ended things off with a slice of Apple Pie à la Mode.  This was great as the crust was buttery and lightly crispy.  It was coated with cinnamon sugar but was balanced off by the salt in the crust.  It also created another layer of crispiness.  Inside, the slices of apple were tender with just a hint of bite.  Glaze was sweet, but not overly so.  Nice consistency on it.  Scoop of vanilla ice cream was good quality being creamy and rich.  Lovely ending to a solid diner meal.  In fact, I am already planning my return visit as I know my kids would want to try it.  Really good diner that does food right.

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

The Good:
- Solid diner eats
- Nice retro design, but spacious
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Definitely not diet food as this is a diner, things can be on the greasier and saltier side, but hey, it's a diner!

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