Man Tung Cafe (Dinner Combo Menu)

Yes, this is not a repost of the last blog entry on Man Tung Cafe.  We have already established that they have a good selection of HK-style cafe dishes.  Prices are reasonable (generally under $20.00) and the portions are generous.  But similar to other restaurants of the same ilk, they also offer full-on Chinese multi-course meals.  Since they have Chinese BBQ as well, their Dinner Combos feature one of their BBQ dishes and a choice of either 2 or 3 dishes.  They range from $59.00 to $128.00.

We opted for the Man Tung Half Roast Duck Dinner Combo.  Hence, we started with the Roast Duck.  Nice colour on the skin with a lacquered finish while being crispy and fairly rendered.  There was an aromatic roasted flavour with both the skin and the meat.  Juicy and tender, the meat was also well-brined.  Overall, a solid BBQ Duck when compared to others in town.

The first of the 3 dishes we chose was the Chicken with black truffle sauce.  This was also quite good where the free-range chicken was moist with that classic firm meatiness.  In an appealing shade of yellow, the skin was gelatinized and was flavourful.  As you can see in the picture, the amount of truffle sauce was conservative and I didn't mind it as it was just enough.  The chicken itself was bordering on salty, but as such, it wasn't devoid of flavour.

We selected a veggie dish so we could feel a bit healthier.   It came in the form of Stir-Fried Scallops with Broccoli.  As you can see, they used the reformed scallops once again.  Personally, I'm not a fan of these as the texture is quite different than an actual scallop of that size.  However, since this combo was only $88.00, I shouldn't be complaining.  With all that being said, they were still cooked well with a nice wok sear and still being soft and bouncy.  Broccoli was on point too being cooked through but still crunchy.

The best dish of the bunch was the Satay Beef Claypot with vermicelli.  This one was loaded with tenderized slices of beef that still had natural meat texture.  The satay was briny and somewhat spicy.  Underneath, the chewy vermicelli was fairly loose and not clumpy.  Yet, they didn't achieve this by adding more oil.  Hence, it was easy to eat and took on the sauce evenly.

We ended up adding one more item to get a sense of their BBQ meats.  The Rice Plate that you see in the picture was topped with BBQ Pork, BBQ Duck, BBQ Goose and Free-Range Chicken.  With a balanced amount of fat, the BBQ Pork was juicy and tender.  The marinade mostly penetrated the meat with plenty of sweetness and slight smokiness from the bark.  Roast Goose was quite good since it was juicy and tender.  Skin was also nicely lacquered and crispy.  The chicken was very much the same one found in the truffle chicken, so the texture was gelatinous and meaty.  Lots of flavour from the saltiness.  Overall, this was a good meal with well-prepared food at a reasonable price.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Once again, I would like to see an option for real scallops as the reformed ones aren't the same

Tanlu Grill

Cook-at-your-table Asian BBQ - we all seen it in one form or another in the Lower Mainland.  From the classic Korean BBQ to Japanese Yakiniku spots, there is no shortage of grilling your dinner restaurants.  However, most, if not all of these places feature propane-fuelled BBQ setups.  Nothing wrong with that, but on a recent visit to a charcoal grill in Richmond, I noticed that the intense head from the coals added more charring, caramelization and smokiness.  With that, I was excited to try out Tanlu Grill located in Central at Garden City also in Richmond.

Before we even ordered, we were presented with a selection of Banchan.  It included kimchi, fish cake, stewed potato, celery and pickled daikon.  We also found a green salad as well as romaine for wrapping the grilled meat.  The one item that was a bit different was the potatoes as it featured whole baby potatoes that were soft and coated with a sweet glaze.  They brought the flaming coals to our table and as you can see, it was ready for some grilling.  We appreciated that the exhaust was adjustable and really did a great job in preventing smoke from getting everywhere.

We ordered some meats to cook on the BBQ and the best of the bunch was the Royal Marinated Galbi.  Due to the intense heat from the coals, we had to keep a close eye on the meat as the sugars started to burn.  Once we got into a rhythm, the was completely caramelized and had an intense smokiness that created a flavour bomb of umami, meatiness and a sweet savouriness.  Moreover, the meat was super tender, yet still retained that classic short rib chew.

Going for another cut of beef, we chose the Sea Salt Marinated Beef Rib Fingers.  For those who don't know, this is the meat found in between the ribs.  Hence, they were rather fatty and are also meaty in texture.  When cooked on the charcoal grill, these seared up nicely due to the fat and hence, there was some smoky char.  There was enough marinade for the rib finger meat to stand on its own.  However, we had Tanlu House Dipping Trifecta at the table.  Also, we had bean paste, garlic and peppers to compliment the lettuce wrap.

One of the best values on the menu is the Pork Platter consisting of pork jowl, marinated pork shoulder, pork belly and pork sausage for $50.00.  The large slices of pork jowl were fatty and crisped up on the grill.  Despite not being marinated, the pork jowl was meaty and aromatic from the fat.  Pork belly was fatty, but rendered well on the grill and was delicious when wrapped in the romaine with the bean paste.  Due to the sugar content of the marinade, the pork shoulder had intense caramelization and smokiness.  It was also super tender and juicy.  As for the sausages, they had a nice snap while the meat was firm with a nice rebound texture.  They were sweet and full of umami.

We got some non-BBQ dishes to compliment our meal.  Served cold, the Beef Shank marinated in chili oil had a noted spiciness.  There was no shortage of thick slices of tender beef shank.  Normally, we would find thinner slices, but due to the robust nature of the chilis, the meat was able to stand up to the spice.  With slices of crunchy cucumber added to the mix, we had both texture and a refreshing bite to balance out the chilis.

Bubbling hot, the Dolset Bulgogi Bibimbap was plenty saucy.  As such, it didn't develop a socarrat (rice crust) despite the scorching hot stone bowl.  Despite that, the amount of sauce did not degrade the texture of the rice.  It was still chewy and was a good textural foil to the buttery soft beef.  With the sauce reducing in the hot bowl, it became intensely sweet with some balancing savouriness.  

When the plate of Japchae first arrived at our table, we were a little concerned with the excess moisture on the plate.  It may have been due to the ample mushrooms and spinach.  However, after a bit of time, most of the moisture was absorbed by the potato starch noodles and the dish wasn't any worse off.  The noodles were still al dente with a gelatinous chew while completely seasoned with an impactful sweetness.  Loved the crunch from the big pieces of woodear mushroom and the butteriness of the mushrooms.  Spinach was not overdone being still vibrant with an appealing colour.

At the end of our meal, we were presented with Marshmallows on skewers.  Yep, we were able to toast our marshmallows over the hot coals.  This was such a treat as it created a smoky and crispy crust that gave way to a melty and silky sweet centre.  Overall, we enjoyed out meal at Tanlu.  It cannot be overstated that the charcoal grill makes all the difference in the world.  The heat is more intense and it helps add depth through smokiness and caramelization.  Pro tip - do not over order on the meat as it is quite filling.  You can always order more as you go.

*Partial credit for this meal*

The Good:
- Charcoal makes a big difference in terms of smokiness and caramelization
- Good quality meats
- Excellent exhaust

The Bad:
- A bit too much moisture in the rice and noodle dishes