Kosoo Korean BBQ

Here we are again at Kosoo Korean BBQ out in the heart of Coquitlam.  We had a great experience last time with their excellent meats and the unique selection of Banchan.  As you might be familiar, Kosoo belongs to the bigger group of restaurants that included Kosoo Cardero as well as Kosoo Chicken & BBQ.  We've been to all of them and they each offer something a bit different than the other.  This time around, we were doing the BBQ for sure, but there were a few more dishes we've never had before.

But to start, we had 2 versions of their Pancake including the Chive and Kimchi Pancakes.  The interesting thing about their pancakes is that they are relatively thin.  Hence, they were super crispy (without being too crunchy), while the interior of the pancake was not overly soggy nor doughy.  Overall greasiness was modest, especially since it was not served in a cast iron pan.  I personally enjoyed the kimchi version more due to the spice and tang.  The chive pancake had a balanced amount of green onion.

Onto the Banchan, it consisted of Kimchi, Stewed Potatoes, Bean Sprouts, Tofu Skin, Quail Egg, Fried Zucchini and Pickled Daikon.  These were a bit more standard compared to our last visit where we had the anchovy and shredded squid.  However, the quail eggs were nicely marinated where the sweet and salty flavours were impactful.  I wasn't a fan of the zucchini since the batter was a bit stiff since it was served cold.  For our choice of soup (that was included with Combo B), we had the Soft Tofu Soup.  It was served bubbling hot and had some spice and plenty of depth.  The soft tofu was silky and the bits of beef were tender.

One new item we had was the Raw Marinated Crabs & Prawns served with tobiko and egg yolk with rice.  It took me awhile to get into this Korean raw crab craze but now that I am, it really is truly delicious.  The meat was silky with sweet and briny elements.  We squeezed the meat onto the rice and deshelled the prawns.  Mixed with the egg yolk, tobiko and sauce on the side, the rice was flavourful with plenty of umami and silkiness.  Really delicious and if you haven't tried raw marinated crab, this is an accessible way to do so.

So onto another newish dish, at least at this location - the Clam Bibimbap.  I've had this at their Pocha spot in Chinatown (which is now closed) and it was fantastic.  Well, this version was exactly that loaded with whole buttery and plump clams.  They were dressed in a spicy sauce that also had some sweetness.  There was an equal amount of chewy rice that we could sandwich with the clams in the supplied nori.

Fresh off a recent experience with the Spicy Cold Noodles with raw fish at another Korean restaurant, we were excited to try Kosoo's version.  I would say that this one was pretty solid.  The sweetness of the pear came through while helping balance the spiciness of the sauce.  With a bite and sweet chewiness, the raw fish added another texture to the already al dente naengmyeon noodles.  The broth was also cold enough so that it was the right temperature.

We can't forget about the Korean BBQ right?  Well, we went for the Combo B for 2 that included Pork Belly, Marinated Beef Rib Finger and Marinated LA Galbi.  As mentioned above, the pancake and soup were also included.  Considering this was technically for 2 people, there was plenty of meat.  The 3 huge slabs of pork belly had a good ratio of meat to fat while the beef rib finger was fatty and tender.  Our favourite was the short rib as it was well-marinated allowing for caramelization from the BBQ.  The meat was tender with the classic short rib chewiness.

Our last item was the Rose Chicken Galbi Platter served on a butane burner.  This allowed for the cheese to melt (so we have corn cheese!) and start to crisp up on the sides and bottom.  The trick here was to not mix the chicken and rice cakes with anything else.  It was to be eaten with the corn cheese and rice separately.  Overall, the food at Kosoo Korean BBQ is solid and served in generous portions.  Love the spacious dining space and their selection of banchan.  One of my go-to spots for Korean BBQ.

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

The Good:
- Large portions
- Delicious eats
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Grill seemed to be hotter on one side
- The Rose Chicken Galbi was a bit unstable on the portable burner

H2 Kitchen & Bar (Sunday Supper)

It has been a minute since I've last visited H2 Kitchen & Bar nestled within the Westin Bayshore hotel.  They've gone through a few iterations with the current setup being a casual dining spot with a BBQ focus.  I've had that a few times now and it has been pretty solid, especially for a hotel restaurant (that are usually not known for thinking out-of-the-box).  This time around, we were here for their Sunday Supper Series and to have a few of their other items on the menu.  This is not the first time I've tried their Sunday Supper, as they used to have a family-style menu.  Now they feature a 3-course meal for only $43.00!

For the first course, there is an option of either the Caesar Salad or Chicken Corn Chowder.  We went for the chowder because I've also had that before and it was great!  Topped with a piece of puffed pastry, the large bowl was packed with delicate corn niblets that burst with intense sweetness and tender pulp.  There was a wealth of chicken that was moist and tender.  As for the broth itself, the viscosity was on the thinner side, but fine by us since it wasn't overly heavy.  It was sweet, a bit creamy and spot-on with the salt content.

The featured plate for the Sunday Supper was the Cherry Cola Braised Short Rib with celeriac polenta, pickled gem tomato and charred broccolini.  Compared to some of the past featured mains, this was one of the more appealing offerings.  The large piece of boneless short rib was for tender and succulent.  A bit sweet and full of umami, it really took on the flavours of the braise.  Rich and creamy, the polenta had some aggressive seasoning (which was good).  Broccolini was vibrant with a fresh crunch.

For dessert, we had the Roasted Apple Cheesecake with shortbread crust, roasted apples, oat crumble, vanilla ice cream and brandy snap.  This was a pretty dense cheesecake and we weren't surprised as it was New York style.  Plenty of baked cream cheese flavor with balanced sweetness.  Loved the roasted apple on top as it added a sweet fruitiness.  It was mixed with oat crumble which added texture as well as nuttiness.  The vanilla ice cream wasn't completely necessary, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Of course we didn't just have the Sunday Supper and call it a day...  We also had some other dishes including the Firecracker Shrimp.  This was more about the crunchy batter (must've had rice flour) than anything else.  It held up to the sweet, tangy and spicy sauce nicely.  The Buffalo Wings were okay, but really needed more sauce.  The meat was moist and the batter was still crispy, but there was a lack of moisture and flavour to the dish.

With a bevy of legit cheese curds, the Waffle Fries Poutine was pretty good.  First off, the waffle fries were crispy while still maintaining a soft potato texture.  They topped it with a balanced gravy that wasn't too salty, but had enough flavour though.  Just like it should be, the cheese curds weren't completely melted, so we go that squeak.  Not pictured was the side of brisket, that should've been on top of the poutine.  When we added it, there was much more body and layers of meatiness.

From the Happy Hour menu, we selected the Fish Taco as well as the Burnt End Sliders.  The fish taco was pretty solid where the piece of flaky fish was rather large and coated with a crispy batter.  The usual condiments were there.  Really loved the sliders where the meat was tender but had candied bark that was smoky and sweet.  A slice of pickle helped add some acidity while the Hawaiian buns were soft and sweet.

So we couldn't not order something from their BBQ menu right?  I've had their larger combo platters before, but we had to get something smaller since we had so much food already.  Therefore, we settled on the CAB Smoked Brisket with mac & cheese and market vegetables.  This plate was generous with 2 thick slices of brisket.  Although it looked dry at first, the meat was decently moist and completely fork tender.  We chose the O.G. H2 BBQ Sauce and it was smoky, sweet and tangy.  Veggies were still crunchy while cooked through.  Mac was al dente with lots of real cheese, but we would've liked to see more cheese sauce for moisture.

Looking enormous with 2 crispy strips of bacon, the Whiskey BBQ Burger was delicious.  The well-seared beef patty was crispy and smoky on the outside while still being fairly moist on the inside.  The aged cheddar provided some smokiness while the bacon did the same as well as adding some crunch.  A few tempura-battered onion rings provided even more crunch.  This was all sandwiched in a toasted brioche bun.

We ended up with the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich as well since I wanted to reminisce about my fried chicken sandwich IG account (that I no longer update due to bad cholesterol...  LOL).  This was a serviceable version with a generous amount of juicy chicken coated in a crunchy batter.  We found the heat level to be rather mild though.  Bun was soft with crispy surface areas while the slaw was crunchy and fresh.

We ended up ordering 2 drinks including the Gin in the Garden and the Fig & Strawberry Spritz.  Really enjoyed the first drink as it was refreshing and light with floral notes.  The second was a mocktail and was also floral with some tang.  We added a second dessert in the Banana Pudding Jar.  Despite my reservations about anything banana for dessert, this was actually fantastic.  Much better than the cheesecake.  Purposefully sweet and aromatic custard with fresh bananas.  This was yet another solid meal at H2 Kitchen & Bar where the food is much more casual than fine dining.  As you can probably tell, the dishes are comforting and generous in portion size.  Great for a date but also for the family as well.  The Sunday Supper deal is particularly a great value.

 

*Partial comp on the food and beverages for this blog post*

 

The Good:

- Sunday Supper 3-course meal is a great value

- Considering the portion size, it is a good value

- Nice dining space

 

The Bad:

- Wings were so-so

- Cheesecake a little too dense

Rise Woodfire San Mateo

After a delicious meal at Elia the night before, I wanted to treat Cable Car Guy and fam to lunch.  You see, trying to fight for the bill with him can be futile since he uses every trick in the book.  I've been desperate enough to give my credit card to the server before we order so I can have the pleasure of paying!!!   Anyways, upon his suggestion, we traveled across the Bay over to Rise Woodfire in San Mateo.  This location is in addition to the Santa Clara store, both are locally owned.  Entering the place, we were greeted to high ceilings and a spacious dining room.  The menu focuses on wood fire pizza and rotisserie.

As such, we started with the Woodfired Chicken Wings in Chipotle BBQ and Buffalo.  Since these were not fried, the skin was not as rendered.  However, that also meant the wings were not dry nor too crunchy.  With that being said, the skin wasn't flabby either.  A bit vinegary with mild heat, the buffalo wings were best dunked into the side of peppercorn ranch.  As for the chipotle BBQ, they were a bit more saucy being sweet and tangy with a decent amount of spice.  The chicken meat itself was tender and almost juicy.

Continuing on with poultry, we tried their whole Pitman Family Farms Local Chicken.  This slow-roasted rotisserie chicken had a beautifully roasted exterior with rendered and flavorful skin.  The meat itself was on the drier side while lacking seasoning.  As you can see, the chicken was large and wasn't lacking in meat.  In addition to the charred half lemon, we had a choice of sauce where we went for the slightly spicy chipotle BBQ.  It had a nice tangy sweetness.

Included with the whole bird, we had a choice of two sides.  It was without a doubt we'd go for the Mac & Cheese with applewood smoked bacon (+$3.00) and the Parmesan Truffle Fries.  Both were good where the mac & cheese was super saucy and cheesy.  It wasn't really all that salty though but the addition of crispy (and not overly fatty) bacon took care of business.  Noodles were not too soft either.  As for the fries, they were crispy with plenty of creamy potatoness left.  I think there needed to be more parm though, but the truffle was evident.

Of course we would have some pizzas too right?  Instead of getting the usual baseline pie in the Margherita, we opted for the Burrata.  This was pretty much like a Margherita with crushed tomato sauce, sea salt, parmesan, torn basil, EVOO and of course di Stefano burrata.  Although the crust didn't look like it had much charring, it still ate very well.  There was some smoky leoparding on the bottom and the dough was properly salted.  There was a nice chew to it while the exterior was crispy.  Although you might think that there was far too much sauce on top, it worked well due to the robust nature of the crust as well as the limited amount of toppings.  It was a nice contrast to the creamy burrata.

As good as the burrata pizza was, the table favorite happened to be The Brunch pizza.  It was liberally topped with mozzarella, applewood smoked bacon, Yukon potato, organic egg, red onion, thyme, sea salt and parmesan on white panna sauce.  This was a hearty concoction where the breakfast nature of the components really came through.  The salty smokiness of the bacon obviously went well with the tender sliced potatoes as well as the egg.  There was a good amount of mozzarella that was stringy where it melded with the creamy sauce underneath.

Personally, the pizza that was the most impactful was the Calabrese + Honey with crushed tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami, fire-roasted jalapeño, parmesan, torn basil and drizzled with Calabrian chili infused honey.  Beyond the crispy chewy crust, the combination of sweet, salty and heat worked our taste buds.  Furthermore, the amount of toppings and sauce made this pizza not-so-dry, which was great in my opinion.  

We also ordered a couple of gluten-free crust pizzas including the Pesto Lemon Shrimp with basil pesto sauce, mozzarella, seasoned shrimp, roasted garlic, housemade dried lemon, red chili flakes, chives and parmesan.  Despite all of the components, the flavors were harmonious and focused.  We had an herbaceous cheesiness going on with some acidity and spice.  The briny sweetness of the juicy prawns still stood out.  As for the gluten-free crust, it was thin and almost cracker-like.  Not bad.

The other gluten-free crust pizza was the Prosciutto di Parma + Arugula with crushed tomato sauce, mozzarella, sea salt, parmesan, torn basil, EVOO, topped with freshly sliced prosciutto + fresh organic baby arugula.  Sitting on the same crunchy and well-charred gluten-free crust, the plethora of tangy tomato sauce helped provide moisture.  The saltiness of the prosciutto was tempered by the peppery and bright arugula.  There was a proper amount of cheese to compliment without making the pizza heavy.

Onto dessert, we had the Basque Cheesecake with cherry sauce as well as the Flourless Chocolate Cake.  On appearance alone, the cheesecake looked dense.  In reality, it was actually decently airy and light (typical of this type of cheesecake).  It had a caramel-taste to it due to the aggressively browned top.  As for the chocolate cake, it was like a rich ganache where the sweetness was muted, giving way to an appealing bitter finish.  Overall, the food at Rise Woodfire is quite good and served in large portions.  Great for a group of friends and family alike.

The Good:

- Solid pizzas

- Rotisserie items are great too

- Large portions

The Bad:

- Chicken could be more moist

Yummy BBQ

You have probably heard me go on and on about the cost of food these days.  Believe me, I am acutely aware how lucky I am that I can afford to eat out.  Even with that, I have noticed the high cost of food, whether it be buying groceries or visiting a restaurant.  I mean, it is almost impossible to find a meal for under $10.00 that doesn't involve something burger and fries (even that is hard to find).  Enter Yummy BBQ located in the Central at Garden City shopping complex.  They are the newest entry into the Chinese BBQ game and they offer specials that are just a smidge under $10.00.  I recently checked it out with Lesley.

To get a sense of all the available meats, we strategically ordered something a bit different from each other.  The first combo consisted of BBQ Duck and Roast Pork on Rice.  I thought the duck was quite good where the skin was rendered and had crispy parts.  It was in an appealing shade of golden mahogany.  As for the meat, it was tender (both the breast and the leg meat) with the dark meat benefitting from the brine more than the breast.  

The next combo featured Roast Pork and Soy Chicken on Rice.  The cuts of roast pork for all the combos we had were on the leaner side with not a lot of fat.  Despite this, the meat was still moist and tender.  However, the lack of fat did mean it wasn't as succulent.  The brine on the meat was sufficient and the crackling was crispy and light.  As for the soy chicken, it had lacquered skin that was flavourful without being salty.  The meat was juicy and mild-tasting.  The scallion ginger condiment was mostly scallion though.  Could've used more ginger, but I do realize that it would be more costly to make.

For my combo, I went for 3 meats including Roast Pork, BBQ Pork and BBQ Duck (the duck was underneath the pork).  The BBQ pork was a mix of lean portions with some fattier pieces.  As expected, the ones with more fat had a softer buttery chew to them.  I thought the flavour was a bit lacking other than the bark.  Even with that, I would've liked some extra dextrose/honey glaze on the outside and/or drizzled over the pork.

I also got their Daily Soup which was Pork & Lotus Root.  It had some depth which meant it had been cooked for a length of time.  The meat was fall-apart tender while the lotus root had softened.  There was enough seasoning in the soup too.  Also in the picture, you will notice that we had tea.  We could serve ourselves to that as well as napkins and chopsticks.  In general, the stuff at Yummy BBQ is above average and very well-priced.  Really can't go wrong for $10.00 or so.  Not sure how long the promos run for, but this is the place to get a filling and tasty meal on the cheap.

The Good:
- Above average
- Well-portioned
- Cheap

The Bad:
- If you want to eat-in, there are literally only 4 tables
- Parking in the complex sucks

Gyubee

Two Summers ago, we were back East visiting Quebec City and Montreal.  We've been there before and it is always a pleasure to revisit the sights and sounds.  Naturally, we also had some excellent eats, particularly in Montreal.  Changing it up a bit, we made our way to Ottawa as well.  Strangely, this was our first time in our Nation's capital and well, it was fine.  TBH, Quebec City and Montreal are much more interesting.  Sorry Ottawa.  However, we did try Gyubee for the first time in Byward Market.  We came away mighty impressed with AYCE hybrid Japanese grill.  I say hybrid because they feature quite a few Korean items as well.  Finally, we get a location in Richmond and of course, we made our way out to try it!

So they do have an online wait list, but all of your party has to be present to be seated.  You have a 2-hour limit and they enforce this diligently.  If you are arriving at peak times, be prepared to wait for an hour plus.  So we got right down to eating and ordered everything we could.   Yes, Gyubee is a Japanese Grill, but in reality, it is Korean-style.  Hey, nothing wrong with that as we had some Banchan (Kimchi, Tofu, Spinach & Sprouts) and Takoyaki.  I wasn't a huge fan of the kimchi as it was more sour than spicy.  Furthermore, this was not the version with shrimp paste, so there was no complexity to the flavours.  Otherwise, the rest were pretty typical.  Takoyaki was decent being soft and fluffy.

I'll get right to some of the cooked dishes before I talk about the meats.  These included Bibimbap, Steak Cutlet, Nagoya-Style Chicken Wings and Tantan Noodles.  No joke, the Bibimbap was really good.  From the chewy rice to the delicious veggies, the bowl just worked.  We had enough gochujang for sweet spice and also a runny egg yolk for silkiness.  Steak Cutlet was okay being a touch chewy.  Wings were great, they were crispy with lots of flavour and juicy meat inside.  Tantan Noodles were forgettable as there was an absence of spice and nuttiness.

As for the meats, I'm not going to cover all of them because it got chaotic at the table with everything hitting the table at once.  I'll talk about my favourite cuts including the Prime Kalbi.  These fatty slices of short rib grilled up well and were buttery soft.   The same could be said about the Black Pepper Kalbi as it shared mostly the same properties except with a more robust bite.  I also enjoyed the Pork Belly as it was a good mix of fat and meat.  It cooked up buttery and had great flavour.

There were some items served in tin foil containers that cooked on the grill for designated minutes.  These included the Sake Clams, Butter Corn, Salmon and Enoki Mushrooms.  Really enjoyed these as the time suggested on the tin foil lids were exact (as long as they weren't pushed off to the side of the grill).  Clams came out buttery and sweet while the corn was also sweet and even more buttery.  The salmon was cooked just enough and was flaky.

Unlike the location in Ottawa, the one here in Richmond does not serve Melona for dessert.  Rather, they have Chapman's Sundaes in addition to their fantastic Crème Brûlée.   For this one we had the crème brûlée was not torched enough, but still featured a crunchy sugar topping.  The custard was rich and creamy while purposefully sweet.  Overall, our meal was decent, but somehow, I enjoyed the one in Ottawa more.  Maybe with some time, they will get up to speed and I won't be thinking that.  I do wonder if the higher prices here (generally $10.00 more than Ottawa) would make this not "worth it".  It is $50.99 on weekdays and $53.99 on weekends for adults.  This is quite similar pricing to AYCE hot pot at Chocho, so it isn't outrageous.  I guess it depends if you want the variety and actually can eat your money's worth.

The Good:
- Pretty good meats
- Service was pretty efficient
- Their Crème Brûlée is pretty good with all things considered

The Bad:
- Crazy busy with a long wait time
- Is it worth it? Depends on what you are looking for