Washington Avenue Grill

In the latest installment of "On the Hottest Day of the Year", Ma (not my own mom) and I made our way out to White Rock for some lunch. I owed her some money and decided to repay her with a nice meal. So with the T-tops off, we hopped into her 300ZX. It was a pleasant ride, except for the really hot wind that kept blowing in my face and the sun beating down on me. We decided to try out the Washington Avenue Grill right on Marine Drive. WAG, as it's called is affiliated with The Vault out in Cloverdale. That would probably explain a familiarity with the menu at first glance. Situated in an old house right on the beach, WAG offers a beautiful view and a nice sea breeze. That breeze was very welcome since there was no A/C. I personally think I'm on a streak in visiting non-A/C restaurants in the last month (also the hottest month so far).

We started off with 2 appies, Dry Ribs and Rice Noodle Wrapped Fried Shrimp. Fried probably a tad too long, the dry ribs were indeed dry; but the dipping sauce helped rectify it. The fried shrimp reminded me of the ones I had at Eat Vancouver, which is actually a good thing. Encrusted with a crispy noodle coating, the perfectly fried shrimp were a delight to eat. For our mains, I went for the Seafood Hot Pot. I assumed it would arrive in an actual hot pot; however, it was served in a large square bowl instead. Maybe it was cooked in a hot pot? A bounty of shrimp, salmon, halibut and mussels resting on top of rice noodles were bathed in a considerable amount of red curry broth. The whole dish would've benefited from a little less broth. Not only does it hinder the presentation of the seafood; it would be a little hard to finish it all anyways. I had to order a side of bread to soak up some of the liquid. With that being said, the seafood was fresh and cooked perfectly. The broth itself was quite light and did not overwhelm. Ma had the Chicken Penne with Portabello Mushroom Sauce. This dish was very rich. The pine nuts on top added both texture and flavour to the pasta.

For dessert, I had to go with the NY Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote. It was beautifully presented. Despite being rich, the cheesecake was not all that smooth. It almost had a doughy quality to it. Taste wise, I really liked the blueberries - good flavour without being too sweet. However, I wished there was a stronger cream cheese taste. On the other hand, Ma's souffle was outstanding. It was chocolate decadence without being overly sweet. The sweetness came in the form of ice cream on top of the souffle. The overall experience at WAG was pretty good. The beautiful scenery on a nice day with the cool sea breeze in between bouts of heat and sweat added to the ambiance. In addition to the view, the location has loads of character and charm. The food was more than acceptable, if not a bit standard. Prices were very reasonable for the venue and the portion size. However, I didn't notice until we were gone that I had been charged much more than the menu prices. I'm not sure how that happened. Either the server made a mistake and charged me dinner prices or the menu prices had changed. Whatever the case, that bothered me somewhat. But, I won't take away the fact that the service was very good. Much like the Vault, WAG doesn't blow me away; yet it is a decent place to grab some food and enjoy the view.

The Good:
- Excellent venue, inside and out
- Reasonable prices and good portion sizes
- Good service

The Bad:
- Food was not bad, yet it was predictable
- Discrepancy between bill and menu prices

Dai Tung

*Restaurant is closed*

Alright, who turned on the furnace in the GVRD? When the mercury rises above 34 degrees Celsius, it becomes really uncomfortable. There was no way that I would even consider turning on the stove in heat like this. Sure, I could go out and use the BBQ; but really, standing over a hot grill in the blazing sun was not an option as well. We really needed to find a place with A/C. For some strange reason, Dai Tung came to mind. Yes, the very same Dai Tung that has some pretty good Dim Sum at reasonable prices which I never get to eat. I've only been successful a handful of times getting a table for Dim Sum since the place is pure nuts. This is further complicated by the fact I hate lineups. Seeing the lineup at Dai Tung is the equivalent of me following a full-faced visor wearing driver going 30 km/h down a one-lane street. I avoid at all costs!

Fortunately, dinner is never even close to being that busy. However, for the price, the dinner menu is actually quite good here. Ever since they renovated the place, they have maintained a level of cleanliness that includes the washrooms. But, for some strange reason, there is a part of the faucet that is missing which makes it quite difficult to use. Well, at least the washroom is relatively clean which is a serious bonus at a Chinese restaurant. Since the A/C was freakishly cold, we actually decided to have the Daily Soup which was Watercress with Pork. Despite there being a good selection of other soups, I usually go for the daily soup because it's slow cooked and that results in a flavourful broth. The watercress soup was served boiling hot and it was not salty. We also got the Live Crab with Cream Sauce on top of a bed of noodles. Although the crab was cooked perfectly, the cream sauce was not really all that creamy. Instead, it was more of a starchy milk sauce. Mind you, it still tasted quite good. The server recommended the next dish - Fried Whole Talapia Hot Pot. Turns out it was a great choice. The whole fish was fried perfectly with crispy skin and soft flesh. Plenty of onions, green onions, ginger and whole garlic cloves provided a aromatic flavour to the dish.

We couldn't go to Dai Tung and not have their signature dish - 5-Cup Spiced Duck. The meaning behind the name is that there are exactly 5 cups of ingredients used to make the duck. The result is an extremely tender duck bathed in a sweet vinegary sauce. Trying to satisfy the veggie quota, we ordered the Pea Shoots in Broth with Beancurd Stick, Gingko Nuts and Wolfberries. This is a very delicate dish that is only lightly seasoned. The natural flavour of the pea shoots are not masked by the usual garlic stir-fry. The dish was cooked perfectly and was a refreshing contrast to the flavourful duck. As always, we were presented with the complimentary Sweet Red Bean Dessert Soup. This version had small tapioca pearls and was only slightly sweet.

For those who only go for the Dim Sum, I encourage you to try the dinner at Dai Tung. It's pretty good and the prices won't break the bank. Service was friendly and attentive. Our plates were changed consistently and our tea was refill promptly. Add into the fact that the restaurant is kept clean, you have a solid choice for Chinese food.

The Good:
- Food is quite good, dinner and Dim Sum
- Prices are reasonable
- Relatively clean restaurant

The Bad:
- Dim Sum lineup is pure chaos
- Very few parking spaces available

Balkan House

Once again, we were meeting with MagMagMug for some eats. TS and Donna Chang were not able to meet up with us at Rodney's, so we set up another rendezvous. Trying something a bit different this time, we settled on the Balkan House. TS was not exactly pleased since that would mean she would have to drive all the way out to Edmonds. I think there is an imaginary line around Fraser Street in Vancouver that she never crosses. Next time, I'm going to setup a dinner in Langley just to spite her. We really don't eat Eastern European food that often and didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, days prior, Jessica (Yum-O-Rama) had visited the Balkan House and blogged about it. Since we were going on a Sunday, we had the opportunity to try the buffet which runs from 4:00pm - 8:00pm. Vandelay, Donna Chang and myself arrived relatively on time after navigating through the street closure on Edmonds. It's part of the Sunday street closures in the GVRD.

Now, if you are ever in a restaurant with a buffet, it's hard not to look at it and wanting to try it while waiting. We gave TS half-an-hour to arrive before we decided to attack the food. Among the items at the buffet included Coleslaw, Bread, Scalloped? Potatoes, Rice, Roasted Potatoes, Veggies, Pork with Mushroom Sauce, Roast Pork, Vienna Schnitzel, Veal & Pork Sausage, Roast Chicken and cake. For $15.99, the price was reasonable since most of the dishes were around that price already. Because the food at Balkan House is predominantly heavy meats, don't expect to go back too many times to refill your plate. I only made it back twice and the second plate was modest. By virtue of being a buffet, I found most of the meats a bit overcooked. Thus, it was not the best indicator of how good the food should be. The meats were conservatively seasoned except for the roast pork, which was a bit salty. However, that was probably the best meat at the buffet since it was really tender. It reminded me of the Kintaro fatty pork.

The service at the Balkan House was quite friendly and attentive. The servers did their best to make us comfortable. In terms of ambiance, I found the restaurant to be stuck in a 70's time warp. It has the 70's lounge type decor and atmosphere. Either they are trying to be retro or they have no intentions of renovating. The clientele was predominantly European which indicates authenticity and popularity. The place was bustling with activity throughout our dinner. The buffet provided a good sampling of the various dishes at the Balkan House. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other dishes on a non-buffet night. I'm not sure if TS is going to join us though since New Westminster is like another world to her.

The Good:
- Really good service
- Unique cuisine, especially in the GVRD
- Great for carnivores

The Bad:
- You're not going there for the decor
- Food can be a bit heavy (if you do not like meat, but I do!)

Ningtu

*Restaurant is closed*

It always seems like every Chinese restaurant that serves Dim Sum are completely full on weekends (some on weekdays too!). We honestly tried to think of a place that we didn't have to lineup. Well, there are places where you don't have to line up; but they are either not very good or very expensive. Seeing that we did not want to wake up super early to go for Dim Sum at 9:00am, we finally gave up on the idea. Alternatively, we decided on Ningtu for some Shanghainese Dim Sum instead. Unlike Richmond, where Shanghainese restaurants are a dim a dozen, surprisingly there are not many to choose from in Vancouver.

We met up with my brother-in-law, his fiance and my father-in-law at Ningtu right when it opened at 10:30am. Thus I was able to snag the only window seat in the house. We were meeting partly because my kids are going to be the flower girl and ring bearer. However, the first 2 times my son was supposed to be the ring bearer, it has been an epic fail. First time, he was so frightened, I ended up being the ring bearer! Second time, Viv had to keep giving him M & M's while walking down the aisle. Let's hope this time is better. Mind you, in practice sessions, he's been dragging his sister around like a rag doll. Okay, I'll stop digressing.

I've been to Ningtu a few times and their Shanghainese Dim Sum is way better than their dinner items. However, this is all relative because I believe that places like Shanghai River and Top Shanghai are better than Ningtu. Since I hadn't been to Ningtu for quite some time, we ordered an array of items to determine how it stacks up to the competition. We started with the Chicken in Wine Sauce. The chicken was cooked perfectly so that it was fully cooked; yet still tender. Flavour-wise, it was more salty than wine flavour. With that being said, it was still a good dish. Shanghainese Dim Sum would not be complete without Xiao Long Bao. When it arrived, my father-in-law made a comment that the Xiao Long Bao didn't appear to be hand-made. He used to run a large Chinese restaurant in town, so he's usually pretty knowledgeable with these things. He stated that the buns seemed way too uniform and perfect; thus leading to the speculation that they were not made in-house. However, we were not completely sure. As for the Xiao Long Bao themselves, they were actually really juicy and tasty. The only negative was that the outer skin was a quite chewy.

Once again, we ordered the Hot & Sour Soup. This is another great "indicator" dish to see if the restaurant knows what they are doing. It appears that they do because the soup was pretty good. It had nice depth of flavour in the soup base and there was a good mix of sour, salty, sweet and spicy. We also got a couple of noodle dishes, the Szcheuan Beef Noodle and Chicken Noodle. Underneath the generous amount of beef and tendon was a really large amount of noodles. The broth itself wasn't as flavourful as I would have liked; but overall, it was decent. The chicken noodles were for the kiddies, so we really didn't eat it. Another popular dish at Shanghainese restaurants is the Beef Roll. Some places wrap five-spiced beef with onion pancake with cucumber and hoisin; however, much like Shanghai River, the roll at Ningtu was more like a baked pastry. One major difference was the inclusion of kimchi-like cabbage along with the beef. You know what? That really changed the complexion of the dish. It added both spice and a crunch to the otherwise soft pastry.

The one item that we didn't particularly like was the Fried Salty Donut. The colour was unappetisingly dark brown and it was not crunchy at all. The whole thing was mostly chewy. Yet, most of the dishes were solid; if not a bit unspectacular. It may not be as good as Shanghai River and Top Shanghai; but it holds its own where it is located.

The Good:
- Decent Shanghainese Dim Sum
- Fairly decent service
- Reasonable prices

The Bad:
- Dinner is not as good

Red Onion

*Restaurant is closed*

Honestly, I have to admit it. I really didn't feel like playing softball tonight since it was burning hot. Alas, the lure of eats afterwards keeps me going. Picked up Milhouse along the way and we ended up going to the wrong field. It wasn't bad, we were only at the adjacent field, so we didn't have to reroute too far. We're not as directionally challenged as Miss Y! The field we did end up playing on was terrible. The grass was so dry, even routine grounders became home runs. I'll officially use that excuse as to why we lost. After a brief discussion as to where to eat, we ended up going to an ol' standby - the Red Onion in Kerrisdale. In addition to the usual crew heading over to the Red Onion was Dr. 911 and Siena. She was not really all that thrilled with the nickname of Mrs. 911 for some reason or another, so we gave her Siena instead. Dr. 911 seemed quite happy with Mrs. 911; but he had no say in the matter

We ended up moving some tables together in order to accommodate our table of 9. I was a bit concerned with the lack of light where we were sitting. However, I was scoping out a neighbouring table which was right next to the window. Like a hawk, once the table opened up, I snapped it up and forced everyone to shift their tables over. They are such understanding teammates! I ended up getting a Cheeseburger and a large order of fries which I shared with Milhouse. There is an option of adding $2.25 for a side of fries with your burger; however, if you can find someone to share the large ($3.75), you get substantially more fries. And those very fries are pretty darn good. They are freshly cut and quite crispy. Much like some other good burger joints such as Moderne Burger, Vera's and Splitz, the burgers at the Red Onion are fresh. They're not the biggest nor juiciest burger; but are good because they are made with care and choice ingredients. Of course, Miss Y had to order something completely random at a burger joint - Quiche. It's just like the time she had a REGULAR hot dog at Japadog. Predictably, the quiche was passable, if not forgettable.

Judes and Hot Chocolate had the Chicken Burger. Rather than a chicken breast, the bun revealed pieces of chicken. No matter, the chicken was moist and flavourful. Almost everyone else had a burger (are you listening Miss Y?); thus, I didn't bother taking pictures of their food. I'm sure they were thrilled because that meant they could eat right away without waiting for me to snap a photo first. Boss Woman especially gets annoyed at that, it's probably why she stole the egg from the Bibimbap last time at Jang Mo Jib. Everyone seemed quite satisfied with their meal at the Red Onion. However, my personal favourite burger joint is still Moderne Burger. After that filling meal, we headed over to Vivo! Gelato for dessert. We walked there in hopes of burning off a few calories.

The Good:
- Freshly made burgers and fries
- Reasonably priced

The Bad:
- Only a small selection of toppings
- Other food does not stack up to the burgers

O Raw Bar & Grill

*This restaurant is now closed*

When I met up with Rich Guy last time at Pasta Polo, I noticed that the old Anducci's had become a Japanese restaurant. Honestly, I couldn't make out the name because there was a large hand-drawn circle on the signage. Well, it turns out that the big circle is the name of the place. It's actually O Raw Bar & Grill. Once again, Rich Guy met me for lunch (doesn't he need to work or something? Oh wait, he's a Rich Guy). Remnants of the old Anducci's decor mixed with a substantial amount of renovations create an odd, but trendy atmosphere. Rich Guy and I particularly like the turbo hand drier in the washroom. In fact, Rich Guy washed his hands twice, just to use the dryer. Both of us actually had a hard time finding the soap dispenser because it's the same colour as the wall and is well hidden. I actually mistakened the complimentary mouth wash as soap. Well, at least my hands smell nice.

When we first took a look at the menu, we were a bit worried since the prices seemed a bit high for an Izakaya-type Japanese restaurant. There was really nothing under $10.00 other than the individual rolls and Nigiri. Thus, with Izakaya portions in mind, we ordered 4 items for the two of us. The server notified us that they had really fresh oysters. Well, we both like oysters, so we went for a half dozen of the Premium Oysters on the half shell. Honestly, the oysters were a bit small; but the freshness and sweetness made up for the lack of size. We were also served a complimentary appetizer dish which consisted of Roasted Garlic, Marinated Wakame and Shoestring Yam Fries. It wasn't a lot; but it was still a nice little treat. Presented on a long platter, there were 8 Crispy Prawns coated in corn flakes. For $10.00, the dish was an excellent value. The prawns were indeed very good with a nice crunchy coating. However, we would've preferred a spicy mayo instead of the common and boring sweet chili sauce.

When we first took a look at the lunch menu, the Sashimi Set Meal caught our eye; but at $15.00, it seemed a bit pricey. Our concerns turned into awe when it arrived at our table. Presented on a large square platter, there was a huge amount of sashimi accompanied by a Smoked Salmon Roll, Tempura and Salad. The sashimi consisted of 3 pcs wild salmon, 3 pcs spring salmon, 2 pcs mackerel, 2 pcs red snapper, 2 pcs tako, 2 pcs tuna, 2 pcs Hokkigai and 2 pcs tamago (not really sashimi but it looked good). Normally, the sashimi alone in this meal would be enough to warrant the $15.00 price tag. The purple (cabbage juice I assume) rice roll was quite good, I didn't even notice it was not regular sushi rice. In addition, the tempura was light and crisp. The only thing I'd change would be the salad. It was mixed with a balsamic vinaigrette that made the lettuce look dirty. They should either put the dressing on the side or stick with the traditional Japanese ginger vinaigrette. The last dish, Hoisin Braised Short Rib, was another surprise. For $13.00, we weren't expecting a whole lot; yet when the dish arrived, it was one of the biggest pieces of short rib I've ever seen. It was a massive amount of tender meat on a bed of veggies and roast potatoes. However, the hoisin sauce was a bit weak and dirty looking. It definitely needed more depth and colour.

Rich Guy and I were barely able to finish all the food, there was just so much of it. If we had known about the portion sizes, we could have sufficed with 2 dishes. The fears we had about the prices here at O Raw were totally quashed with the portion sizes and quality of the food. Furthermore, the staff were very friendly and attentive. Add into that a trendy and comfortable dining space, you have a pretty solid restaurant. There is really no restaurant like O Raw in Coquitlam, so at least they have no immediate competition. I only hope that they succeed because no restaurant has done well at this location.

The Good:
- Big portions
- Food is made with care
- Most of the food is quite good

The Bad:
- Some of the fusion items didn't work (ie. salad dressing, chili sauce for the prawns)
- Can't compete with the Downtown Izakayas, but okay for Coquitlam

Le Petit Saigon

Having gone to Au Petit Cafe earlier this month, I decided to make it complete by going to Le Petit Saigon as well. Once again, it was burning hot and we decided to go for hot Pho. That probably explained why Le Petit wasn't really busy. They had a couple of fans going; but it was a bit warm. One thing that struck me while we strolled in from the back entrance was how clean it was. I mean, the washrooms were so pristine, I would be comfortable eating in there. Of course I didn't really mean that; but it sounded good. The same could be said about the rest of the place, it was practically spotless. This was indeed a pleasant surprise for a Vietnamese restaurant.

While we were waiting for our orders, I decided to run across Hastings to get a shot of the front. I think some people were wondering what the heck I was doing. I tried to look as natural doing as I could; but I'm sure it really didn't help. Settling back into my seat, the first few dishes were arriving. Rich Guy ordered the Lemongrass Chicken and it was presented on a long, modern looking plate. I love it when restaurants go the extra mile and think about food presentation. It may seem like a small detail; but we eat with our eyes and noses too! I sampled some of the chicken. It was both moist and flavourful without being salty. For once, I didn't get to sample Viv's food because we were too busy attending to the kiddies. She had the Skewered Beef with Spring Roll Vermicelli Bowl. It looked to be a decent amount of food. She indicated that everything was pretty much how it should be.

Since I was sweating just sitting there, I opted not to go for the Pho. Instead, I decided to try the Seafood Dry Noodles. There was actually quite a bit of seafood resting on a modest bed of noodles. The shrimp were perfect, crunchy and sweet. I wasn't a big fan of the imitation crab sticks though, they were a bit cold and lifeless. In the end, we did get a bowl of Chicken Pho for the kiddies. I've actually never ordered chicken pho before and it's not bad. The soup base here was not salty at all; in fact, a bit on the sweet side. I ended up finishing the Pho that the kiddies didn't eat.

By now I was quite warm. Maybe they wanted to create the atmosphere of being in Vietnam? Whatever the case, the service was very friendly and efficient. Despite the lack of A/C, the restaurant itself was quite comfortable, unlike the other little hole-in-the-wall Pho joints. Add that with overall cleanliness, pretty good food and free parking at the back, it was a good experience.

The Good:
- Carefully made and presented food
- Friendly staff
- Clean and spacious restaurant

The Bad:
- No A/C, it's a sweatfest while eating hot Pho

Harmony Donuts

The donut; such a simple food. What is the allure of this fried life saver (oxymoron)? Well, a long time ago, Rich Guy and I went to great lengths to acquire donuts. When we didn't have Krispy Kremes up here in the GVRD, we would drive all the way down to Burlington, WA to get some. In fact, we'd take orders from our friends and bring up over a dozen boxes at a time. The border guards were rather confused when all we declared were some glazed and jelly-filled donuts. I'm surprised we didn't get searched more often. Imagine 2 guys driving up after only gone for around 2 hours with a car full of donuts! Fortunately, we didn't have to travel very far to get some tasty donuts after our meal at Browns. In fact, Harmony Donuts is only up 10 blocks on Lonsdale at 29th. I have to give credit to Vandelay for this one. If he hadn't suggested the place, there is really not much chance I'd notice it. Located right next to the Starbucks, Harmony looks more like an old school card collector's shop than a donut store. Actually, it's a deli as well; but if you call a couple of baked goods and a whole cold turkey a deli, it wasn't much of one.

Once we walked into the place, we were transported back into time. No, I didn't suddenly have my mullet back; rather, it was packed with memorabilia such as old books, hot wheels, figurines and even a nice Pepsi-Cola clock. If you think 40-Year Old Virgin, but a bit less high tech, you will get the idea. In terms of the donuts, they are also quite old school. They are very similar to Top Pot Donuts out of Seattle, being fried until crunchy with many different flavour combinations. However, they are quite a bit smaller than those at Top Pot. One donut will run you $1.00, 1/2 dozen at $4.50 and a dozen for $8.00.

If you prefer the Krispy Kreme type of donuts, then Harmony may not be for you. But despite looking heavy, the donuts here are actually quite light. Despite the generous amount of glaze and toppings, the donuts aren't really overly sweet. This is definitely a little gem in North Van. You wouldn't expect such good donuts from an eclectic place such as Harmony.

The Good:
- Great tasting and relatively light donuts
- Very unique place

The Bad:
- Slightly pricey for smallish donuts
- Not sure of the deli part