Gary's Restaurant

Gary's Restaurant has been on my radar for a little while and it was also on my "to dine at" list.  I did suggest to some friends that this was an option for our dinners, but there were no takers.  However, Jo messaged me out-of-the-blue to meet up for eats and suggested Gary's!  Well, what a nice coincidence!  I mean, it is also great to meet up with Jo as I haven't seen her in quite some time, but it was also even better that we got to hit up a place I wanted to go to!

This cozy little spot on 12th at Granville has great lighting due to the large windows in front.  We looked over the menu and decided to order a la carte rather than the tasting.  As much as the tasting seemed appealing, we wanted to choose our preferred dishes.  It all began with the Rye Rolls with an herb butter.  I found the rolls to be fairly fluffy with some chew to them.   The salt on top really added a flavourful crunch.  Loved the butter as it was whipped until airy.

Onto the actual plates, we had the Kanpachi Crudo with strawberries, sumac vinaigrette and shoyu.  As for the slices of kanpachi, they were fresh-tasting and looked the part too.  There was the usual natural sweetness and the essence of the sea.  I'm usually not keen on fruit and fish, but the strawberries were sweet and didn't clash.  I found the sumac vinaigrette a bit earthy and maybe lacking in enough acidity to really make an impact.  The restrained use of the soy ensured that the fish maintained its starring role.

Next, we had the Raw Beef with king james blue, chicory and house-made potato chips.  First and foremost, the diced beef was buttery and didn't require much chewing.  It was visually-appealing and tasted fresh.  With intermittent pops of nutty saltiness, the stilton also added body and creaminess to the tartare.  There was some crunch from the chicories but overall, the whole mixture was pretty soft.  Seasoning was mild with a good balance of salty, sweet and tang.  Loved the potato chips as they were thin and crispy.

For the larger plates, we had the Ling Cod with Argentinian prawns and cherry tomatoes in a Calabrian chili butter sauce.  As evidenced in the picture, the cod filet was beautifully seared with crispy portions.  Inside, the fish was moist and flaky with some butteriness.  It was also well-seasoned and tasted great on its own.  However, that silky sauce had a spicy nuttiness to it and was well-suited for the fish.  It was not too strong, but also had impact at the same time.  Those prawns were perfectly cooked with a delicate meatiness that was aromatic.

The most filling dish was the Pork Collar with parsley sauce, grilled onion and Swiss chard.  Fatty with its classic rebound meatiness, the pork collar was nicely brined.  It was had an inherently full-flavoured taste to it while not being salty.  The meat was tender, but maintained a bite.  I found the parsley sauce to be creamy and bright.  The veggies were cooked perfectly where they were wilted, but still had lots of texture left.

For dessert, we had the Paris-Brest with lemon verbena cream, strawberry and chantilly.  Texturally, the choux pastry was crispy on the outside and fairly light on the inside.  I found the chantilly to be a bit melty, but it was still light and creamy.  The lemon cream was mildly-flavoured while the strawberry was sweet.  Overall, it was a pleasant meal at Gary's with properly-prepared proteins and focused flavours.  I would be open to a return visit one day!

The Good:
- Properly-prepared proteins
- Nice flavours
- Great service

The Bad:
- Seating is a bit tight for tables of 2

 

Good Thief

I'm sure you are familiar with the story of Anh & Chi located on Main near 18th.  You know, where Pho Hoang used to be located, but the kids took over and modernized the whole outfit.  They have become hugely successful and was even awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022.  Now they are launching Good Thief right next door that focuses on cocktails with a menu that is modern and of course Vietnamese-inspired.  I recently visited the place with Roanna.

We began with the Crudo featuring BC side stripe prawns, clarified tamarind, pomelo, mango, almonds and ngò ôm.  This was neatly plated with a good amount of buttery soft prawns.  We felt the temperature could've been just a tad colder, but in the end, the dish was still delicious.  Beyond the natural sweetness of the prawns, the combination of Asian ingredients offered up plenty of brightness and tanginess.  Almonds added the necessary texture to the otherwise soft dish.

For our next dish, we went for one of the features - the Oxtail & Chanterelle Dumplings served with Thai dip.  These little precious pockets featured a dumpling skin which was thin and crispy.  It was cooked all-the-way-through without losing its elasticity.  Inside, the filling was a bit lacking in texture as it was soft and runny.  It was meaty-tasting with the unmistakable mushroom taste of the chanterelles.  As for the dip, it had a noticeable kick with sweetness.

We had 2 more small dishes in the Beets and the Pomme Frites.  As for the beets, they were dressed with blood orange, rice patty herb and chili salt.  We thought this dish was quite good where the beets were tender with a sweet earthiness.  There was a good combination of sweetness, tanginess and only the slightest amount of spice.  The big and thick fries had a considerable firm potato texture with a slightly crispy exterior.  Considering they fried them multiple times, they weren't as crispy as they appeared.  However, I still enjoyed eating them since I love natural potato texture.  The side of Thai green chili aioli was creamy and aromatic with only a mild spiciness.

Onto the mains, we had the the Oxtail which featured meat removed off the bone, encased in caul fat and then braised.  The result was a kind of pulled oxtail that was tender, yet didn't give up its classic meatiness.  With the rendered fat from the oxtail, there was a natural umaminess to the dish, but the pho demi glace really brought the dish together.  So much depth, so silky and and classic warm flavours from the spices.  This came with a confit daikon which was firm but tender, yet also added to the pho demi glace experience with its sweetness.  Also on the plate was soft carrots with a sweet carrot puree.

Moving away from the richness of the oxtail, we had the Halibut hidden underneath hakurei turnip and shaved fennel.  The whole dish was finished tableside with a dill and turmeric soubise.  I found the halibut itself fresh and cooked beautifully.  It was classic halibut firm, but was still delicate in its own way and flaky.  The soubise was vibrant, earthy and herbaceous.  Loved the crunch from the turnip and fennel as well as the addition of fresh dill to further amp the flavours.

It was decided that we would order the Ribeye with charred broccolini despite the fact we had already piled on the proteins.  In actuality, we were deciding between that and pork chop feature (which we ended up getting anyways).  Sliced into 3 large pieces, the ribeye was generally medium-rare.  I thought it was pretty tender and had great natural flavour.  The jus underneath was subtle with depth-of-flavour which was meaty and complimentary.

Now for the Snake Rivers Pork Chop, it was beautifully prepared being fully cooked but still having noticeable juiciness.  Hence, the meat was tender and not dry at all, the pork hock demi glace was silky and gelatinous.  It adhered to each piece of pork lovingly and was savoury and full of umaminess.  Underneath, we found a mix of fresh corn, chanterelles and Swiss chard.  We thought this was the better than the ribeye, yet it wasn't as if the ribeye wasn't good though.

For dessert, we tried both options including the White Negroni consisting of calamansi sorbet atop spruce granita and fermented plum while finished off with green tea cherry soda.  As expected, the calamansi offered up a burst of sourness ending off with bitterness.  However, this was balanced off with  the sweetness of the soda and the granita.  Very refreshing and acted like a palate cleanser.  You could eat this between the small bites and the big bites!

Lastly, we had the Mung Bean atop almondine cake.  It was topped with condensed milk ice cream and mung bean crema.  Yes, this dessert was unmistakable mung bean with the density of the mashed beans being present.  It was lightly sweet and the soaked almondine cake underneath had a similar texture to the mung bean.  This was a rather sweet dessert due to the addition of the condensed milk ice cream.  I think you might want to have both desserts if you want some balance (or just choose the White Negroni).

Onto the cocktails, we had the Lặp đi Lặp Lại and Pom Pom Punch for our first round of drinks.  I found the Lặp đi Lặp Lại to be rather refreshing with its mix of fino sherry, Italian dry vermouth, Good Thief shiso mountain honey liqueur, mango cordial, Wasted Citrus Shrub and sparkling sake.  Definitely a dangerous drink but easy going down.  The Pom Pom Punch also had some refreshing vibes but a nice twist at the end with a definite rice finish.  It consisted of pandan & vanilla Don Julio reposado, Parnubes Oaxacan rum, spiced pomelo, fresh lime, salted roselle and rice milk.

Our second round found us going for the Good Leaf with mint-washed Bacardi Superior, lime leaf Mulita Pisco Distillate, passionfruit cordial, lime juice and Champagne.  I definitely got the fruitiness to begin and then the champagne, but as it was starting to get floral, it took a left turn when I was expecting a right turn.  It went strong herbaceous and it was probably due to the lime leaf distillate and/or the mint-washed rum.  In a beautiful hue of purple, the Han Noi Nights featured lemongrass Aviation Gin, cacao butter bitter bianco, rectified mangosteen, lychee jasmine, maldon salt, chilli and ube foam.  This was definitely tart and floral as it was described on the menu, but we really wanted to see a strong ube flavour.  Overall, our experience at Good Thief was good.  The cocktails were interesting and tasty while the food had some real highlights. 

The Good:
- Tasty cocktails
- Well-prepared proteins
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- A bit pricey
- Some further refinements with a few items

Seraphina

To be completely blunt, I was a bit apprehensive visiting Seraphina since I heard differing opinions on them.  However, in all fairness, they are completely new and just trying to find their stride.  Jackie and I went in with an open mind and empty stomachs.  Located right below Vesper Lounge and taking over the spot that once housed Blackbird and subsequently Royal Dinette, Seraphina has a simple elegance to its dining space with a few show-stopping pieces.  I particularly liked the light fixture in its lobby.

But really, we were here for the food right?  We kicked things off with the pepper crusted Ahi Tuna Crudo with cucumber gazpacho and cucumber salad.  So this was pretty bright and refreshing, yet at the same time, surprisingly spicy.  That gazpacho had a nice cucumber freshness to it but that kick was something else.  If we weren't awake before that, we were certainly so after digging into it.  The tuna itself was evenly seared on all sides while the centre was perfectly rare.  

One of our favourite dishes was one that didn't appear on the menu (just yet).  It was the Black Vinegar Glazed Pork Belly.  These big pieces of pork belly had a good balance between meat and buttery fat.  Hence it was hearty and meaty while still tender.  The exterior was crispy despite the amount of glaze. About that, it was sweet, sticky and had the unmistakable depth of black vinegar.  Truly a properly fused Asian-inspired dish.

Onto the mains (as if the pork belly wasn't big enough already to be considered a main), we had the Pan-Seared Ling Cod with edamame puree, tapioca crisp and apple.  This was another solid dish with perfectly seared fish.  It was slightly crispy on the outside while properly seasoned.  It was flaky and moist.  I really liked the caramelized fennel as it was aromatic and sweet.  The edamame and apple provided complimentary sweetness.

In addition to the excellent pork belly, the Pistachio-Crusted Lamb Rack was my next favourite dish.  As you can see, the lamb was perfectly medium-rare.  Hence, the meat was juicy and tender.  The pistachio crust was nutty and crunchy while well-seasoned.  Loved the gratin dauphinoise as it was delicate and creamy.  There was also a smooth and naturally sweet pea puree underneath where I used the succulent lamb to sop it all up.

We also got the Pure BC Wagyu Burger on a beer bun with gruyere, pickles, butter lettuce and caramalised red onion.  This was completely legit with a juicy and well-charred burger patty.  It was rich in flavour and that evenly melted gruyere on top added butteriness and nuttiness.  Those fresh cut fries on the side were money where they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  It came with a side of house-made tomato ketchup which was delicious and tangy.

Onto dessert, the first one I tried was the Chocolate Mousse with pistachio, hojicha and apple.  Hidden within chocolate ganache, the mousse was creamy and light while still rich at the same time.  Balanced sweetness and plenty of slightly dark chocolate bitterness.  This was complimented by the tea bitterness of the hojicha.  However, the pops of sweetness from the apples balanced it all out as well as come nuttiness from the pistachios.

To keep things light, the Coconut Sago was a refreshing way to end a wonderful meal.  It featured coconut jelly, mango compote and tropical fruit.  It really emulated a mango sago in some sense, but had all of the aromatics of coconut.  The picture was taken before the compote was poured on top.  When combined, this was definitely fruity and purposefully sweet.  In general, the food we had at Serphina was well-prepared and you could definitely see the attention-to-detail.  Looks like the food has been more refined since I first spotted it on IG.  Looking forward in returning and sampling more of their dishes.

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

The Good:
- Well-prepared proteins
- Some bold flavours
- Beautiful dining space

The Bad:
- Still working out the logistics (including the downstairs kitchen not being open yet, that will take care of the smaller dishes and snacks)

Indian Oven

Indian food in Vancouver (the actual city, not the burbs) can a be a bit hit and miss.  Some are pretty authentic and flavourful while others can be too middle-of-the-road.  I guess that can be said about Chinese food too.  However, there are some really good Indian restaurants in town, much like the aforementioned Chinese food.  Jackie and I made our way to Indian Oven on West 4th in Kits.  Sure, the location doesn't scream out authentic Indian eats, but hey, we always have an open mind.

We began with the Indian Oven Special Platter with veg pakora, veg samosa, paneer pakora, chicken pakora, & fish pakora.  This was a large portion of food and most of it was on point.  Large and flaky, the fish pakora featured a spiced thin batter that was crispy.  The chicken had an equally thin batter but was a little more cooked than the fish.  It wasn't dry though and was nicely complimented by the chutneys.    The veg samosa was crispy and not greasy while filled with caraway-spiced potatoes that were tender and moist.

Next the sizzling Tandoori Soya Chaap arrived smoking hot at our table.  Sometimes, these cast iron platters do a little sizzle, but this one was seriously sizzling for over 5 minutes and continued on for quite some time.  Hence, the whole dish was smoky and hot with tender pieces of soya chaap.  There was nice spice to the dish and believe me, the smoke got in my eyes (The Platters, if you don't get the reference). Like the table next to us, we were coughing due to the spice!

Normally, I'm not super enthused about Veg Chow Mein at an Indian restaurant.  However, this time around, I really enjoyed this version.  Good wok hei (wok's breath) that produced delicious caramelization and smokiness.  The noodles were chewy and al dente while completely seasoned (with a good amount of black pepper).  There was a bevy of vibrant vegetables that were tender but mushy.  Even without meat, I found this hearty and satisfying.

Naturally, we had to try the classic Butter Chicken even though some consider it a bit defaultish.  It is just like how I like to try the Sweet & Sour Pork at Chinese restaurants.  That is something I do...  So this butter chicken was appealingly creamy and on the sweeter side.  Hence, both elements helped temper the tomato tang.  Not sure if they used fresh tomatoes, but it seemed like it because the sauce was less tomato paste-like.  The pieces of chicken were tender.

One of the most impactful items was the Coconut Chicken as the sauce was super flavourful.  We've had this dish many times before and it is generally aromatic and creamy (It is Jackie's favourite Indian curry!).  This seemed like it was amped with a considerable amount of coconut flavour.  It seemed to me that there was more than just coconut milk and cream.  It was purposefully sweet and balanced. As like the butter chicken, the meat was tender and moist.

My personal favourite dish was the Lamb Tikka Masala, partly because I love lamb but also it was prepared well.  The large chunks of meat were surprisingly tender consider the lean cut.  Absolutely loved the appetizing tanginess of the sauce.  It really helped cut through the heaviness of the meat.  Due to the tomato tang-forwardness of the dish, some of the spices were a bit muted.  However, the earthiness did come through and there was some spice.

In addition to the butter chicken, we went with another classic Northern Indian dish in the Palak Paneer.  Indeed, it was a familiar rendition where the ginger really stood out.  It helped keep things bright while the pureed spinach had some earthiness (from the cumin) and natural sweetness.  The ample amount of paneer was squishy and delicate, rather than being too firm like some versions.  Really good version of this dish.

One of the more striking dishes (in terms of appearance) was the Shyam Shavera (Spinach Paneer Kofta).  These beautiful spinach balls stuffed with paneer were texturally-pleasing being soft and delicate.  It sat in a tomato sauce that was more tangy than the butter chicken, but had similar elements with spice and earthy tones.  In addition to some peas pulao, we had the Wings Biryani.  Being bone-in and with the skin, the chicken wings provided the dish with more natural flavour and essence.  The hearty rice was chewy and nutty with spice and strong cardamom notes.

In addition to the rice dishes we ordered, of course we had to add in some breads too.  That we did in the Garlic Naan and the Spinach Paneer Naan.  I found the garlic naan to be soft and pillowy while exhibiting a good elasticity.  The bottom had some charring and was crispy.  Due to the spinach and cheese, the other naan was soft and more pliable.  It had more moisture too, so it ate with less chew.  Good amount of filling meant this was pretty tasty on its own.

Lastly, we were served a variety of cocktails featuring a Mojito, Rose Sangria Smash, La Vie en Rose, Blue Lagoon and Guava Martini.  As you can see, these were colourful and featured some appealing accompaniments.  I personally loved the Mojito with its usual herbaceousness and also the Guava Martini (as I love guava!).  Overall, the food at Indian Oven was really good and despite its location in Kits, is legit.  Portion sizes were good and the prices were completely fair.

 

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

The Good:

- Legit Indian cuisine

- Generous portion sizes

- Spacious dining room

 

The Bad:

- Maybe being located upstairs might be inconvenient for some

 

Broli Kitchen

At first glance, Broli Kitchen appears to be another restaurant in a strip mall in Richmond.  However, there is more than meets the eye here (and I'm not talking about Transformers either...).  The cuisine is a mix of traditional French, Italian and West Coast fused with Asian influences.  Now before you begin to prejudge this place, consider the head chef is a Red Seal certified.  Chef Zhuang Li has been the sous-chef at the Downtown Sheraton Wall Centre for 10 years and another 5 years of experience in French cuisine.  Pretty unexpected at a little non-decript bistro.  Jackie, Jacqueline, Andrew and myself were invited to try out some of their newest and most popular items from their menu.

We began with a pair of soups in the Lobster Bisque and the Wild Mushroom Soup.  These looked legit and were exactly what we expected.  The bisque was creamy and rich with a balanced amount of lobster aroma.  It was lightly sweet and properly seasoned.  Some herb oil on the top finished off the soup.  As for the wild mushroom, it was also creamy and full-flavoured with the woodsiness of the mushrooms.  With some truffle oil added to the mix, it was aromatic and even more earthy.

Next, we had the Pan-Seared Scallops with pea puree and crispy prosciutto.  This was a well-prepared dish where the scallops were beautifully seared while the middle was slightly rare.  Hence, the texture was on point being buttery soft.  The scallop itself was properly seasoned while exhibiting a natural sweetness.  On top, the crispy prosciutto added crunch and saltiness.  Silky smooth and sweet, the pea puree helped bring the saltiness down a notch.

Our last appie was the Truffle Mushroom Risotto Ball (aka Arancini) with a onion tomato sauce. This was a huge portion of 6 large risotto balls that were somewhat crispy.  This is because the onion tomato sauce was drizzled atop all of the risotto balls, resulting in them become soft and a bit crumbly.  The aborio rice seemed to be fairly al dente, but with all the sauce, it was hard to tell.  Loved the sauce as it was sweet and tangy.  Maybe they should either put it on the side or plate the balls atop the sauce on the plate.

Maybe the most interesting and delicious thing we had was the Durian Pizza.  Yah, this could be pretty polarizing due to the main ingredient.  Durian is extremely pungent and isn't for everyone.  However, in my opinion, they did a good job with incorporating it onto a pizza.  They used a cream cheese base and combined with the sweet durian and mozzarella, this became reminiscent of a Chinese custard bun, except on a pizza.  So this almost ate like a dessert and that was a good thing as the durian was definitely there, but not in a way that was overwhelming.  All of the components sat atop a pizza crust that was somewhat similar to Domino's (which is a good thing as well).

Onto the bigger dishes, we had the Confit Duck Leg with rice, veggies and duck sauce.  The duck leg meat fell apart easily and was rather tender.  It was on the saltier side, but did go well with the rice.  With the addition of some Asian spices, the duck had a different flavour than a regular duck confit.  Nice twist on this dish to make it unique.  There was a bevy of perfectly-cooked asparagus, broccolini, carrots and zucchini.  They were vibrant and still had texture.

Classic in its preparation, the Roasted Rack of Lamb was perfectly medium-rare.  It was crusted with dijon herb bread crumbs and served with Lyonnaise potatoes, veggies and lamb jus.  I was pretty impressed with the lamb as it was slow-roasted which resulted in succulent meat.  It was well-seasoned and the jus was meaty enough without being salty.  Veggies were great like the previous dish while the potatoes were tender with buttery onions.  I would've liked it to be a bit more buttery though.

One of the most surprising dishes was the Bolognese Strozzapreti.  It was super legit and could be served at an Italian restaurant.  The rich bolognese featured a mix of veal, beef and pork that was super tender.  There was a nice balance of tomato and creaminess that made this lightly sweet, aromatic and full of umaminess.   The choice of pasta was also key to making this a good dish as it captured bits of meat and sauce.  It was also al dente, yet not in an overly firm manner.

We had two of their fish dishes staring with the Ginger Miso Glazed Salmon.  Presented as a fairly large piece of salmon, this was a good portion of food.  Although the salmon was a bit over, it was still moist and not dry at all.  I found the salmon to be mildly-seasoned with some ginger flavour and miso saltiness.  Underneath, the miso cream sauce was really good with depth and a balanced flavour.  It was a nice compliment to the fish and also added extra moisture.

The other fish dish was the Pan-Seared Ling Cod with potato, seasonal veg and tomato pepper sauce.  This was another large portion that was also prepared properly.  The fish had a slightly crispy sear while the meat was flaky and moist.  Being ling cod, it had a slightly firmer texture but it was still tender.  I found it be well-seasoned and really didn't need the sauce.  Although the tomato pepper sauce was pleasant enough, a lobster bisque sauce or dashi would've been a better match for the whitefish. 

Onto dessert, we had the Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream.  We really appreciated that they prepared this from scratch and baked-to-order.  Many other places unfortunately use a microwave!  This was more like a chocolate souffle than a basic lava cake.  It was light and fluffy with a crispy exterior.  Inside, the molten centre was silky and purposefully sweet.  It was gave even more souffle vibes as it had the sauce built into it (rather than poured into it).

Lastly, we had the Caramel Macchiato Pot de Crème with pecan graham crumble and fresh whipped cream.  It was rich and creamy with smoky caramel notes intermittently interrupted by coffee.  The crumble on top added a nice crunch.  I quite enjoyed this dessert.  In fact, I enjoyed the meal as a whole.  Lots of highlights including the lamb, scallop, durian pizza and pasta.  Portions were large and proteins were mostly on point.  Flavours were textbook and although the prices are necessarily cheap, the value is there due to the generous size of the proteins and the general execution.

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

The Good:
- Textbook execution
- Generous portions
- Durian pizza!

The Bad:
- Definitely has hotel food vibes, but it was prepared well