Sherman's Food Adventures: February 2025

Overflo Dessert Cafe

With me needing to head down to 24/7 Parcel in Blaine, it was convenient for us to drop by Overflo Dessert Cafe in White Rock afterwards.  Located right on the Marine Drive strip, it was a great place to hang out on a beautiful sunny day.  Upon walking into the place, we were greeted by small trinkets with plenty of Sanrio characters.  There was also a photo booth with all the accessories to capture moments with your friends.  But we went straight for the menu and tried a selection of their wares.

We began with their Fresh Ade with the Lemonade, Blue Lemonade and Passion Fruitade.  These were pretty to look at and would be great for a hot Summer day.  Well, it was Winter, so we had to pretend it was hot.  At least the day we were there looked like Summer.  These were sparkling and were super refreshing and lightly sweet.  My favourite was the passion fruit as it had the classic tropical taste.  Both the lemonade and blue lemonade were quite similar with a light sweetness and light tanginess.  I found the blue one to be more floral for some reason.

From light, we moved onto something with more body in the Special Jolly-Pong Shakes.  We opted to try the Original and the Cookies & Cream.  Piled high with Jolly Pong cereal, it needed the domed lid to keep everything from spilling out.  The sweet nuttiness of the Jolly Pong was enjoyable enough by itself, but there was a shake underneath.  I found the texture of the shake to be more like a Starbucks Frap with a milky iciness.  Now it was pleasant though as it was blended quite well.  Hence it was somewhere in between a Frosty and shaved ice.  Both drinks were lightly sweet with the cookies & cream being sweeter.

Trying something from their coffee menu, we had 2 iced coffees with the Dalgona Latte as well as the Oat Lavender Latte.  So far, I'm sure that you have noticed that their drinks are visually-appealing.  Well, it wasn't any different with the iced coffees.  For the Dalgona, it was topped with a considerable amount of Korean crunchy toffee candy.  Thankfully, we didn't have to lick it like in Squid Game!  Anyways, the coffee itself was aromatic and strong enough to stand up to the sweetness of the dalgona.   As for the Oat Lavender, it had a cute little ice bear on top.  It had a background floralness of the lavender.

We had their Soft Serve Ice Cream as well, still thinking it was Summer.  There were several flavours available including plain, but we went for the more interesting ones in the Earl Gray and the Thai Tea.  I found that base vanilla soft serve to be somewhere between creamy and icy.  So once again, it was more like a Frosty in texture but thicker.  It was lightly sweet with a definite milkiness.  For me, the Thai Tea was my favourite of the two with a strong tea flavour combined with the usual intense sweetness of condensed milk.  As for the Earl Grey, it was mild-tasting with its usual floral notes.


In their display case, there is a selection of cakes and macarons.  We went for the Basque Cheesecake and it was great.  To get things out of the way first, the actual cheesecake was more like a NY-style, which is not exactly typical, but I felt it was exactly what I wanted.  This had the usual burnt and sunken appearance on the outside while having the rich cream cheese texture of the classic NY version.  It was purposefully sweet and was super creamy and firm.  As for the Macarons, they were not bad with a crispy shell and chewy interior.


We moved onto their small selection of savoury items with the Rose Noodle Tteokbokki consisting of udon, fish cake ribbons and rice cakes.  I thought this was quite good with a thick rose sauce that was creamy with only a touch of spice.  The udon was still al dente while the fish cake ribbons had a nice bounce to them.  Rice cakes were chewy but not tough.  The other available noodle was the Instant Nong Shin selection right next to the cool noodle soup heating station.  For some reason or another, eating instant noodles in an establishment is so much more satisfying than in your own home (for much more money).  Go figure.  In general, Overflo is a great place to grab a beverage on a nice day along the Drive in White Rock.  There are some trinkets for sale and a photo booth for those "friends" moments.  However, as much as I loved the Nong Shin ramen, not sure if I'd pay for it beyond my own home.  I'd stick with the Tteokbokki instead.  But if you want a drink, check Overflo out if you are in the area.

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

The Good:
- Large selection of various drinks
- Cool spot to hang out with friends
- Photo booth for those who want to capture the moment

The Bad:
- Loved the instant ramen and the cooking machine, but it is expensive

Off The Grid Waffles

Awhile back, I had visited Off The Grid Cafe and had a selection of their chicken sandwiches (when I was still doing my fried chicken sandwich quest), drinks and dessert waffles.  I have to say that their sandwiches were huge and really good value.  In addition to that, things were pretty tasty with perfectly fried chicken.  Fast forward to the present and they have a new brunch menu that prominently features their waffles, as well as their fried chicken.  I was invited out to check this menu out that included a few interesting creations.

Of course we have to start out with the baseline in the Chicken N' Waffles.  This featured and entire waffle spit into quarters with a large fried chicken thigh on top.  I found the thin waffles to be crispy and aromatic with a light sweetness and nutty finish.  Inside, the waffle was fluffy.  As for the fried chicken, it had a medium-thick batter that was evenly crunchy.  The brined chicken was flavourful and juicy.  On the side, we found a thick gravy which was pretty mild but added some moisture and savouriness.   Slaw was crunchy and properly dressed having tanginess.

Next, we tried the Waffle Sliders which was essentially a fried chicken club on a waffle.  Now to make it an actual club, I would add bacon (which is an option on the menu).  Even without the bacon, this ate quite well.  Beyond the crispy waffle, the fried chicken provided crunch and enough protein for impact.  Fresh lettuce and tomato along with pickles and spicy mayo provided multiple textures.  Furthermore, it lightened the heaviness of the chicken.  I think maybe a slice of cheese would be another great add to this sammie.  Waffle fries were excellent being crispy and spiced.

One of the more interesting things we had was the Chicken N' Waffle Pizza.  This was a whole waffle topped with spicy mayo, melted cheese, waffle fries and cut-up fried chicken.  Sure, this was the same components presented a different way, but it did eat very differently.  With all of the crunchy things in this creation, the texture was not lacking.  However, for me, I wished there was a balancing component such as sauce of some sort.  Maybe more spicy mayo or possibly a drip on the side such as tomato sauce, gravy or the aforementioned mayo.  Other than that, it was pleasant enough.

Presented as a huge portion, the Mac N' Waffle Bowl was strangely appealing to me.  Sitting in a waffle cone-like bowl, the saucy mac & cheese gave me Velvetta vibes.  Now that is actually a good thing because I happen to like that version.  It was velvetty and had plenty of saltiness while the mac was al dente.  The crunch from the waffle bowl was a nice textural contrast to the mac & cheese.  This also came with the same delicious crispy chicken on top.  On the side, we found a spring mix salad with Italian dressing.  We ended up trying their Capuccino Milkshake and of course it was massive.  It wasn't as sweet as it appeared, but don't get me wrong, it was still sweet.  It also came with a quarter waffle, so it was really a meal in itself.  In general, the key to all their brunch items is the piece of fried chicken.  Just like in their sammies, it is juicy with a crunchy seasoned exterior.  Waffles are good too being crispy and aromatic.  Best thing of all, the prices are affordable.

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

The Good:
- Good fried chicken
- Generous portions
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Limited seating 

 

Lu Charcoal Grill

It isn't very hard to find Northern Chinese BBQ skewers in the Lower Mainland.  There was an explosion of spots in the past 10 years starting with Happy Tree out on Kingsway (there are more, but this is the most well-known one).  For me, it has been awhile since I've had Chinese BBQ skewers.  This is partly because you can really start spending a pretty penny when you over-order.  That is quite easy to do when there are minimum amounts such as 5 or even 10 skewers of specific meats.  Recently, I visited Lu Charcoal Grill in Richmond that not only has no minimum per skewer, their pricing is rather reasonable too.


Unlike many other skewer spots, you do not order from a menu or order sheet.  Rather, you walk up to the refrigerated area where all the skewers are ready for you to choose.  Take as many or little as you want, pass to the servers and the kitchen will seasoned and BBQ them.  As you can see in the picture, there is a good selection including pork intestines, spicy beef, beef tongue, chicken gizzards, pork rib, chicken wing, beef, lamb, chicken, pork belly, chicken heart, chicken cartilage, enoki, chives, tofu, steamed buns, bread, corn, sausage, chicken feet, snake fish and beef aorta.  Not only are the prices reasonable, I felt that the amount of each skewer was more than sufficient.


Once BBQ'd, the servers bring the skewers out and place them on the platter that is kept warm with lit tea candles.  I thought the skewers were more or less cooked properly keeping the meat tender while having a slightly crispy exterior with caramelized spices.  My favourites included the pork intestines as they were tender with a chew.  Loved the thick cut.  Beef tongue was also good with a tender chewiness.  Good amount of spice and seasoning on it.  Chicken wing featured rendered skin and juicy meat.  Also enjoyed the chicken heart and chicken gizzards as they provided an appealing chewiness while not being dry.  I wasn't as enthused about the corn though as it wasn't plump.

In addition to the skewers, we also had a variety of dishes including the impressive Seafood platter.  It consisted of scallops, shrimp, clams, abalone and cuttlefish.  I think these are usually separate orders, but they combined it all into one platter.  The seafood got plenty of garlic and that meant things were flavourful.  Underneath, we found a mess of mung bean noodles, that had soaked up all of the delicious garlic and seafood juices.  That was probably even better than the seafood!  However, let's be real, this was all about the seafood and they were cooked just right with butter clams, scallops and cuttlefish.  The abalone was firm with its classic chew.

So we also got the new Tomato Egg Noodle Soup served in a hot claypot.  This came out bubbling and was filled to the brim with tender lai fun and a wealth of fluffy egg and tomato.  I thought the broth was not particularly tomatoey but it did have the aftertaste.  It was more mild and brothy with equal parts savouriness and sweetness.  I found the noodles to be fairly al dente while slippery.  The fluffy egg is what made this dish as it added so much texture.

Another bubbling claypot was the Seafood Pork Claypot with sauerkraut.  At first, I was confused why the broth was tangy, but double-checking the ingredients yielded pickled napa cabbage.  That made things rather appetizing and helped lighten the heaviness of the pork belly.  In that sense, the broth was fairly light and was not devoid of various flavours.  Cabbage was tender while not overdone and the shrimp on top were meaty and sweet.


Accompanying our skewer and seafood fest, we had some smaller plates to supplement as well.  This included the Chicken Nuggets and the Fried Stinky Tofu.  Although the chicken was heavily battered, it wasn't as dense as it appeared.  Rather, the exterior was crunchy while giving way to tender chicken.  It was fairly well-seasoned too.  As for the stinky tofu, it was indeed pretty sharp.  I don't mind eating it as long as it isn't super pungent.  This one was bordering on that, but I did enjoy the aroma and crispiness.


As our defacto veggies for the meal, we had the Garlic Cucumbers and the Deep Fried Taiwanese Cauliflower.  Crunchy and full of garlicky spiciness, the cucumbers were a nice interlude between skewers.  As for the cauliflower, they were crispy with some peppery salt.  They were fully cooked, but still had a crunch.  Overall, the food at Lu Charcoal Grill was tasty and well-priced.  It is a little more on the rustic side, so don't expect refinement.  But that is the draw here.  The food isn't complex, but it is served in generous portions and is generally delicious.

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

The Good:
- Fair pricing
- Generous portion sizes including the meaty skewers
- Seafood is fresh

The Bad:
- Tomato soup could've been more impactful
- Possibly put some saran wrap over the skewers to keep them fresh?

Marifresh

Oh the humble Kimbap, a Korean sushi roll with various things in it that somewhat resemble a bibimbap.  I really love it when they cram copious amounts of tuna into the roll.  There are several places that specialize in Kimbap with one of the best now sadly closed due to a fire in the retail complex.  So where do I get my fix?  I mean I've tried the Costco one as well as Trader Joe's but how about something fresh and you can pickup easily after ordering online?  Well that would be Marifresh in the Coho Commissary on East Georgia.  I did just that and tried a bunch of their wares.

Before I got to the various versions of Kimbap, I dug into their Korean Fried Chicken first.  You can get a variety of sauces to go with the chicken such as Yangnyeom (as shown in the picture).  I found the chicken to have a light and crunchy batter than was seasoned.  The chicken itself was juicy and tender.  I liked how this was not greasy and even the parchment was not oily as a result.  Dipping the chicken into the sauce, it was balanced being sweet and spicy.
 
They also have a self-proclaimed World's Best Kimchi Fried Rice.  I have to say it as pretty darn good!  Chewy and discernible, each grain of rice was sweet and spicy with natural aroma.  This was fried with pork belly and spam so that there was plenty of body and umaminess.  The kimchi itself provided some crunch and tang while there was only a mild spice to it.  A runny sunny side egg help add some yolky goodness.  Oh and that coleslaw on the side was fresh, crunchy and tangy.

Currently, they have the Squid Game Combo consisting of Squid Ink Mari, Korean Fried Chicken, Dalgona Cookie and choice of beverage.  If you tag and post on IG, you will also get a Marifresh tote bag.  I won't get into the KFC as I have talked about that already but the Squid Ink Mari was a rather tasty and filling creation.  Keeping with the theme of the combo, the squid ink rice encased fried squid, jalapeno and chili pickle.  Naturally, with these components, we had some spice, tanginess and crunch to go with the tender squid.


Onto the selection of mari including the Spam Cheese Egg Mari and Tuna Mari.  First and foremost, I appreciated the care they put into constructing the kimbap.  Things were rolled tight so nothing fell apart while it wasn't too tight either.  That meant the texture wasn't too dense.  I like the rice where it was chewy and nicely aromatic.  For the Spam Mari, there was the usual buttery saltiness, but the egg really added fluffiness and brought the saltiness down.  As for the tuna, it was dressed in enough mayo so that it was not stiff nor dry.  Loved the crunch from the veggies.


The last 2 items was the Keto Bulgogi Mari and Spicy Pork Mari.  I found the bulgogi mari to be filling and without the rice, ate very well.  The sweet and tender meat combined with the crunchy daikon made for some great mouth feel.  As for the Spicy Pork, it was sweet with some kick.  As with all of the mari, the amount of rice was perfect.  Just enough that it let the components take the lead.  Overall, the options at Marifresh were carefully constructed and ultimately delicious.  Really have a craving for it as I write this blog post.  Would order again for sure!

*Some items were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Carefully constructed mari that is not overloaded with rice
- KFC is great!
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Purely takeout, so plan accordingly to enjoy the food at its best state

Chutney's Indian Grill

With the high prices of everything these days coupled with the uncertainty in the economy, it has been increasingly hard for many people to dine out.  I mean, even heading to McD's is not even that affordable.  Coupons withstanding, you can easily dish out $20.00 if you aren't careful with your ordering.  So when I run into inexpensive options that aren't necessarily fast food, it is definitely refreshing and it is especially true when the food is interesting and served in generous portions.  That was the case with Chutney's Indian Grill.  I recently checked out their Langley location just right off 200th. 

This counter-service restaurant is definitely no-frills, but still has a great selection of Indian street food and dishes.  We started with the Samosa Smashed Bowl.  Not served exactly in a bowl (because it was in a take-out box), the 2 veggie samosas did start off complete and were smashed in front of our eyes.  It was topped chickpeas, creamy jalapeno cilantro, raita, tamarind, sprinkle of chaat masala & any other toppings available at the counter.  This was great with crunchy bits of the samosa intertwined with the soft texture of the filling.  There was spice combined with the tanginess of tamarind chutney as well as the brightness of the mint chutney.

You can be forgiven if you confuse the Stuffed Kulca with the Jamaican dish Doubles (that has similar vibes).  This featured fluffy kulcha with a mix of seasoned potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, chaat masala and tamarind.  Combined with the tamarind chutney this was very similar to Doubles except with kulcha rather than fry bread.  Good mix of spice, tanginess and equal parts savouriness to go with the fluffy bread.

Something that was very North American but with an Indian twist was the Tandoori Chicken Sando.  This consisted of crispy fried chicken, served on a brioche bun, shredded romaine, pickled onions, creamy jalapeño cilantro + spicy crema.  This was legit where the chicken was juicy and spicy with a crunchy batter.  Loved that the veggies were fresh and crispy helping bring the heat down while the soft brioche was the perfect bun to let the crunchy chicken shine.



We couldn't decide which bowl to order, so we had all 3 including the Butter Chicken, Indo-Chicken Salad  and Steak & Crema Bowls.  Sure, they all had similar components other than the main protein (and the sauces) but they did eat differently.  The butter chicken was predictably more saucy and flavoured the rice underneath with minimal chutney or other sauces added.  Nice tanginess with some creaminess.  The Indo-Chicken Salad was flavourful with spice but of course needed some of the mint chutney for the greens.  The steak was pretty tender and well charred.


The most impressive items were the Meat Plate and Tandoori Chicken Platter.  Consisting of fries, naan, salad, butter chicken, rice, chutneys, tandoori chicken and grilled lamb.  Fantastic value at $17.95.  Strangely, I loved the fries as they were crispy with a soft potato centre.  As for the Tandoori Chicken Platter, it was another great deal at $13.95.  I would say that it was just as filling as the meat plate with lots of tender and flavourful chicken on top of rice.  As you can see, the food at Chutney's is well-portioned and reasonably-priced.  It is also delicious and well-prepared.  A really good choice for some casual eats whether it be dine-in or take-out.

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

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Inexpensive
- Well-portioned

The Bad:
- Won't be as complete as a full-service restaurant, but you must remember the prices are reflective of that.


Desi Lounge

Ethnic cuisine at one point in time was purely associated with inexpensive, cheap and unsophisticated.  Many customers are looking for more memorable experiences with elevated cuisine and equally impressive decor, cocktails and service.  Of course, there are those who still want good value and there are plenty of choices for that.  It is especially important since the economy is still not quite there.  We've seen higher end Chinese proliferate the Vancouver restaurant scene as well as extravagant Omakase and even elevated Vietnamese.  Now we are seeing more and more luxurious Indian restaurants.  One of the newest is Desi Lounge in Downtown Vancouver.  Jackie and I checked the place out recently.

To illustrate the elevated cuisine at Desi Lounge, the best example of this was the Udupi Burrata.  Naturally, we don't see this soft fresh cheese in Indian cuisine.  But the chef combined that with Indian flavours with success.  The fresh burrata sat in a udupi-spiced smoked tomato puree, which was earthy, a bit spicy and full of fall-type flavours.  The smokiness did come through while the tomato tang as muted.  As much as garlic toast might seem like an odd accompaniment, it worked well with a contrasting crispiness while giving way to a soft airy centre.

Going with something more traditional, we had the Raj Kachori which was majestically plated.  It consisted of a large crispy semolina shell stuffed full of diced potatoes, red onions, yogurt, spiced chickpeas and tamarind & mint chutneys.  I've had this dish on numerous occasions and this one was definitely up there in terms of execution.  Potatoes were tender while maintaining texture, onions were crunchy and bright, chickpeas were flavourful with some kick.  Combined that with soothing yogurt and the tangy sweetness of the tamarind as well as the brightness and heat from the mint chutney, it was a flavour explosion in my mouth.


The Tandoori Chicken was another example of a dish that was elevated while still maintaining the integrity of the dish.  On that note, the custom plates really made a difference in the presentation of the food and it shows the effort they are putting into that part of the experience.  Sure, the chicken was plated nicely, but its execution was also flawless.  Each piece of chicken featured beautifully-rendered skin that was crisp and exuded the flavours of the marinade including earthiness, spice, sweetness and nuttiness.  The chicken itself was moist and succulent.

One of the most impressive dishes we had was the Tandoori Sockeye Salmon.  Many other fine-dining spots in town may not even execute a piece of salmon better than Chef Bal.  Featuring spiced and crispy skin, the salmon was beautifully prepared.  It was flaky and moist throughout despite being a leaner type of salmon.  The accompanying apple and pickle salad went well with the salmon with sweet crunch as well as an appetizing tanginess.  The mint chutney raised the brightness level even more so while adding a creamy heat.

Moving onto the curries, they were definitely more traditional, but in terms of flavour, the Bombay Seafood Delight surprised us.  In my experience with Indian seafood curries, I find that the flavour of the curry and seafood are usually mutually-exclusive.  For this one, things were incorporated that the curry were it was reminiscent of a seafood chowder but with Indian spices.  Definitely got the nutty earthiness as well as some spicy tanginess.  The seafood was just perfect with the sweet snap of the shrimp, tender crunch from the squid, plump butteriness of the mussels and tender bounce of the scallops.  Delicious!

Although Jackie isn't into lamb, I had to get my way and order the Lamb Rogan Josh.  I got the dish to myself!  Good thing too as it was also excellent.  Each cube of lamb was tender and the gaminess was quite mild due to the lean cut of the meat.  I found the spice level for the curry to be on point.  It had heat, but not to the point where I could not taste the other spices.  Definitely got the ginger as well as the sweetness from the cardamom as well as the fall-flavours from the cloves.  There was plenty of body to this with rich spices and warmth.

Moving onto some vegetarian dishes, we had the Kolhapuri Paneer Mushroom.  This was surprisingly spicy, yet that was just perfect for me!  Once again, it wasn't spicy for the sake of being spicy.  There was heat, but I could get the layers of spices as well.   Definitely got the nuttiess and earthiness as well as the aforementioned heat.  There was also background sweetness from the coconut.  I thought the plating of the mushroom and the paneer on top of the curry was neat as it allowed them to have more texture.  Also the dusting of spices on top concentrated the heat even more so.

I thought the Malai Kofta was one of the best curries amongst the ones we tried.  It was creamy and rich with a noticeable natural sweetness.  This was quite mild and we didn't find any particularly flavour to be more dominant than the other.  There was apparent nuttiness though which added to the creaminess.  Once again, we had some earthiness from the spices.  As for the potato and cheese kofta, they were light and not overly dense.  Nice soft texture while not mushy either.


Our last 2 curries consisted of the Malvani Chicken & Palak Paneer.  I found the chicken to be super tender while nestled in a thick and rich curry.  Definite aromatics going on with the coconut and noticeable spice too.  As for the Palak Paneer, it wasn't as dark as some other versions and it was also not as heavy.  The brightness of ginger really came through and although the spinach was cooked down, it still had a bit of texture.  The paneer were soft and squishy, just how I like it.


Naturally, we had some Garlic Naan to go with all the curries and it was solid.  The bottom was crispy and well-charred while the rest of it was soft with appealing elasticity.  Nice garlic essence to go with the ghee.  As much as we enjoyed the Garlic Naan, the Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Naan was outstanding.  One of the best versions I've had.  The outside was crispy with an aromatic nuttiness.  The naan was almost flaky while the filling was delicious.  I gladly ate this just by itself. 

Beautifully-plated, the Malai Ghewar consisted of a crispy nest of batter that was akin to fried honeycomb.  It was light and purposefully sweet.  On top, we found malai, nuts and berries.  This made for a refreshing dessert that was a good end to the heaviness of the curries.  Overall, the food at Desi Lounge is fantastic.  From the classics to the some more creative dishes, they were all prepared with care and did not lack impact.  Combined with the beautiful decor and reasonable prices, Desi Lounge makes for a night out that won't break the bank.

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

The Good:
- Delicious food with impactful, but balanced spice
- Beautiful decor
- Reasonable-pricing

The Bad:
- Parking is limited in the area

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