Osetra

One of the newest restaurants in Downtown Vancouver has opened up on Georgia Street at Homer.  Osetra (yes, the same name as the caviar) now occupies the former location of Bar Haifa.  It has a focus on coastal cuisine that features fresh seafood.  Now with a name like Osetra, you might have guessed they have a love for caviar as well.  That they do and we even got some randomly during our meal!

Before we got to the caviar, we had the Scallop Crudo.  This was doused in an apple and coconut nage.  This was plenty creamy and aromatic.  There was also an avocado vinaigrette which added even more richness as well as some acidity.  I wasn't completely sold on the serranos on top, but it did make things pop.  As for the chopped scallop, it was buttery soft, fresh and clean-tasting.  I enjoyed eating this with less of the sauce, since it was rather heavy.  Flavours were good though and the seasoned crisps were perfect vessels for the scallops.

For our Caviar appie, it featured a crispy buttermilk and chive waffle that was lightly sweet and a bit nutty.  We found some smoked crème fraîche and chives occupying 2 squares on the waffle while there was a toasted pepper and egg yolk gel settling in 2 of the other squares.  However, the most important ingredient was the dollops of caviar in the remaining squares.  I thought when everything was combined into one bite, there was a good balance.  If you are familiar, you'll notice that they re-imagined the typical condiments served with a tin of caviar, such as the egg yolk, crème fraîche and chives.  Quite clever really and in general it worked.  Possibly the only thing I would've changed was the waffle itself.  Something thinner would've helped highlight the brininess of the caviar more so.

It was suggested we order the Grilled Sourdough to accompany the Squid Plancha.  Great call on that as the nutty, smoky and crunchy sourdough mopped up that delicious sauce beautifully.  There was a nice dousing of single origin olive oil on the bread itself, where it ate well without sauce too.  The little bites of squid nestled in the n'duja & confit tomato sugo were tender and buttery.  I found the sugo to have a mild tomato flavour while exhibiting some spice.  Some preserved lemon provided the acidity and a balanced saltiness came from the manchego espuma.

Two of our vegetable sides came out next in the form of the Oyster Mushrooms in a rendang sauce and the Potato Pavé with pecorino and kimchi powder.  Really enjoyed the mushrooms as they were seared nicely.  The rendang was creamy and earthy with the usual coconut aromatics.  As for the pavé, it was not pan-fried.  Rather, it was deep fried which created a uniformly crunchy exterior that was also buttery and nutty.  Inside, it was still tender and revealed the multiple layers of potato.  I didn't notice the kimchi powder as much as I wanted, but it did provide a slight bite.

My favourite item of the night was the Dungeness Crab served in its own carapace (or head shell).  They de-shelled the whole crab and mixed it with a ginger & scallion emulsion.  I found the crab meat to be excellent being fluffy with a slight bounce.  It was naturally sweet and a bit briny with the emulsion complimenting rather than dominating.  We had some acidity in the form of lemon and the whole thing contained a good amount of crab.

Now we had crab, so the next would be Lobster right?  This was a half-lobster with diced meat that was mixed with a motoyaki mayo sauce and baked.  It was also topped with chives and ikura.  The result was tender morsels of sweet lobster that were lightly bathed in a mild-tasting sauce.  Underneath, we found some watercress gomae that added some freshness and texture.  The pops of brininess from the ikura was a nice break from the creamy sauce.

I thought the Carrots was probably the best veggie side dish we had.  They were aggressively charred which made them smoky and heightened the sweetness.  That honey mustard toffee on the bottom of the plate was richly sweet and buttery with a slight sharpness from the mustard.  Adding texture and nuttiness, there was puffed rice  was strewn across the plate.

Had to end the meal with caviar right?  So we had the Fior di Latte & Lemon Gelato topped with Osetra caviar and drizzled with single origin olive oil.  Creamy and sweet, the gelato benefited from olive oil with extra silkiness and of course the flavour of the oil.  Of course the caviar on top provided a "je ne sais" quality to the dessert that was only in the background.  Overall, the food we tried at Osetra was good.  There might've been a few things that could've been refined a bit more (such as the scallop crudo) and possibly the plating on the squid was a bit flat, but nothing outrageously deficient.  Atmosphere and decor fit the Downtown theme and pricing was okay, especially compared to Aquafarina across the street.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Good Downtown vibes and atmosphere

- Food was generally well-prepared

- Fresh seafood

The Bad:

- Some dishes could use further refinement

Halo Kitchen & Bistro 光輪

Some would argue that going on a cruise is not the best way to see Japan.  Well, I will partially agree with that since going on a cruise is never a great way to experience places since most ports only get a day.  When I say "a day", that would mean something like 8 hours, if you are lucky.  I've been on some cruises where there are overnight stays and that helps a bit, but generally, you would be best served doing a land vacation where you can be at a location for at least 5 days to get the full experience.  However, on the flipside, for smaller towns, a day is more than enough for a visit.  That brings us to Shimizu, our first port on our 12-day Japanese cruise aboard the Celebrity Millennium.  We didn't end up doing very much here since the fish market was closed (on a Wednesday).  We did wander around and the people were very nice.  It was also cloudy and we only got a brief outline of Mt. Fuji.  For lunch, we ended up at "Halo" Kitchen & Bistro for some Yoshoku cuisine (Japanese version of Western dishes).  This place has been around since 1972 and is very reasonably-priced.  After we sat down, the place was packed!

For myself, I had to go for their Halo Lunch that consisted of a pork katsu, spaghetti and fish with a bowl of rice, cream soup, salad and coffee (at the end).  This was only 900 yen (approx. $8.00cad)!   The small cutlet featured an airy and crisy panko coating that was beautifully fried.  The pork itself was nicely marbled and super light.  It was moist and buttery tender.  As for the small piece of fish, it was seared just enough that it was cooked through, but was also flaky and buttery soft.

My son went for the Hamburg Steak which was covered in a delicious and rich gravy.  It was so flavourful and full of umami with just a slight tang at the end.  The hamburger steak itself was plump and evenly seared on the outside.  As for the inside, the meat was fluffy and tender with it taking on the sauce very well.  When eaten with the rice, it was a delicious bite.  The side of cream soup was slightly viscous and had lots of natural milk flavour with some saltiness.

My daughter had another classic Yoshoku dish in the Curry Doria.  Originally conceived in the Hotel New Grand in Yohohama, this featured rice topped with curry and cheeses (usually parmesan and gruyere) with some type of meat.  It was chicken in this case.  We found the version here to be flavourful with a rich curry that had depth from the spices, but it wasn't spicy.  Rather, it had a good balance of sweet and savoury with plenty of cheesiness.

For Viv, she had the Curry Loin Katsu with the sauce served on the side.  This ensured that the katsu remained crispy.  It wasn't greasy and the panko coating was not dense.  Inside, the meat was also airy and light.  It was tender and succulent.  Served on a bed of chewy rice, it accepted the delicious curry sauce well.  At the end, we were served a coffee and the kids were served juice.  I can't say enough how good of a deal this place is.  To top it off, the food is delicious.  Oh and the people are super nice.  A must try when you are in Shimizu!

The Good:
- Cheap!
- Delicious
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- Well, if you arrive late, you won't get a seat

C|Prime Modern Italian Steak and Wine

Haven't been back to C|Prime in the Century Plaza Hotel for quite some time.  I remember when it was Roy's Steakhouse (that closed 20 years ago), that my parents would frequent back in the day.  Yep, they brought me along and I was that little kid who was getting his fill of steak.  I guess not much has changed as I still like my fill of steak!  Recently, I returned with Jackie to try out some dishes.

We started off with a showstopper in the Osso e Manzo (Bone Marrow Beef Tartare).  With filet mignon tartare on top, the huge bone marrow was really over-the-top.  It served its purpose though by being a serving vessel for the tender and buttery tartare.  Of course there was fatty bone marrow underneath all that, which only helped make the dish more sinful and buttery.  Soaked with butter, the side of toasted bread was the perfect crispy texture to compliment the bone marrow and tartare.  I do think the bone marrow and tartare did clash a bit and I'd rather have them separately.  Both were good though.

Next, we had the Risotto Nero which featured a grilled 1/2 lobster.  However, the thing that made this dish sing was the lobster bisque reduction.  Our senses of both smell and taste were blasted with the concentrated lobster essence.  It helped flavour the risotto completely and made us wanting our next spoonful of risotto.  Thick but evenly spread on the plate, the risotto was cooked right with chewy rice that exuded the beautiful colour of squid ink.

The main event was the Angus Reserve Bone-in Ribeye prepared medium-rare.  This was a bit closer to rare, which kept the meat moist, but possibly less tender.  With that being said, the steak was sufficiently tender and had good natural beef flavour.  It was served with a silky and gelatinous demi-glace which was flavourful with a pleasant saltiness and umami.  It was also properly rested as there was minimal juices on the plate.

On the side, we had two dishes including the Truffle Mac & Cheese as well as the Foraged Mushrooms.  Typically, I find mac & cheese at most steakhouses to be highly disappointing.  This one bucked the trend by being cheesy and properly sauced, so that it wasn't dry.  There was plenty of truffle flavour (with real black truffle too) and seasoning.  Toasted crumbs on top added a nice crunch while the noodles were not mushy.  As for the mushrooms, they were texturally on point while completely seasoned.  

For desert, we had the Tiramisu, which was presented in a showy manner.  Once the clear cylindrical container was removed, it revealed plenty of mascarpone cream.  This ate quite well with moist espresso-soaked lady fingers and sweet mascarpone.  Although this looked rather wet, it didn't eat as such.  Overall, this was a solid meal and there was some pizazz to go with it. 

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

The Good:

- Nice decor and atmosphere

- The items we had some flair

- Some really good dishes

The Bad:

- Steak was prepared properly but could've been a bit more tender

Milestones Coquitlam Test Kitchen

There was a time that Milestone's was the place to be.  For those who remember (or are that old), we couldn't get enough of those Thai Drumettes, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Portobello Mushroom Chicken, Burger with curly fries and of course their Prime Rib.  Yes, they were the sh*t and were already onto the "elevated chain restaurant" path, even before Cactus Club and Joey Tomato's (now known as Joey) pivoted from casual eats to a bit higher-end.  However, somewhere down the road, they were passed by the aforementioned chains as well as Earl's.  Now they have totally remodelled their Coquitlam location and added "Test Kitchen" to their name.  As with most test kitchens, the menu consists of items that are not available at any other location.   They are "test" dishes to see if they work with the customers.  We decided to try the place out to see if good things were cooking at Milestone's these days.

We arrived in time for Happy Hour and got their 3 for $39.00 deal, where we could pick any 3 appetizers from the ones listed.  Our favourite was easily the Calamari.  It featured large strips of squid that were quite tender with just the slightest of chew.  On the outside, there was a crispy and well-seasoned batter.  We found 2 different sauces on the side.  I thought the preserved lemon aioli was the one that complimented the calamari the best.  It was tangy and creamy while allowing the squid to stand out.  The other sauce consisted of spiced andouille sausage & tomato ragu.  Nice tang and spice, but better on a meatball.

On the topic of meatballs, we also had the Moroccan Meatballs.  These were fairly large in size and slightly dense.  However, the meatball itself was moist and naturally meaty.  There was enough filler in there to keep things tender without compromising the natural beef texture.  Since these were advertised at Moroccan, the spices offered up earthiness with the cumin and classic fall flavours with cloves.  The accompanying spiced tomato and pepper sauce was tasty being tangy and sweet with a bit of heat.  However, we really could've done with much more of it.  There was also crispy focaccia on the side.

Our last appie was the Sweet Chili Chicken Bites with crispy wonton strips, cucumber, green onion and sesame seeds.  As expected, the flavour profile of this dish was rather defaultish due to the use of sweet chili sauce.  Nothing particularly wrong with the dish as the chunks of breast meat were not dry and the batter was still crispy despite the dousing of sauce.  The sauce was typical being thick like a glaze and having mostly sweetness with just a touch of heat.  I think the addition of wonton strips and fresh cucumber helped with the texture and also provide some freshness.

For good measure, we got the OMG Pepperoni Pizza and it was loaded with toppings.  There was so much cheese and pepperoni on it that the crust couldn't stand up to it.  So beyond the crispy edges, the middle of the pizza was really soft.  Definitely a fork and knifer or if you so please, folded over.  This really tasted good though as the sauce was sufficient with an appealing sweet tanginess.  The amount of provolone and mozzarella made things stringy and cheesy.  Yes, the amount of pepperoni was generous which added salt and of course pepperiness.

Onto the mains, my daughter had the classic Portobello Mushroom Chicken.  It has changed a bit in terms of overall presentation and execution, but it remains as one of their best dishes.  Instead of capellini, they use fettuccine now which is a better choice.  I found that the thin strands of the original pasta got soft quickly while the fettuccine here was al dente.  Employing a basil pesto cream sauce rather than the mushroom cream sauce is a solid evolution.  Still plenty creamy, but now with some brightness, it is plenty tasty.  Of course, we can't forget about the chicken, still tender and juicy.

My son went for the other original item in the 1989 Burger.  It was a substantial burger back then and it isn't any different now.  Thick, juicy and nicely charred, the burger patty was as good as I had remembered.  It was one of my go-to items at Milestone's and I'm glad they kept it around.  It had smoked bacon and cheddar on a soft sesame egg bun.  However, the one thing that did change was the omission of the curly fries.  I loved those and miss them!  My son opted for the sweet potato fries, and they were fairly crispy.

Viv had one of the test kitchen items in the Seafood Risotto.  Generally, I've had very few good risottos in my lifetime, so I wasn't expecting much from this one.  Alas, the rice was overdone, but as a dish, it was not bad. The risotto didn't spread on the plate well, but it was still creamy and flavourful.  It might have bordered on being salty, but no one could complain it was bland.  There was a wealth of seafood present including bay scallops and shrimp with a half lobster on top.  We also found caramelized onions and leeks which provided sweetness and some brightness.  But the most defining ingredient was the lobster tomato broth which made things taste like a lobster bisque.  Quite tasty.

For myself, I continued the seafood theme with the Lobster Frites.  Featuring 2 split whole lobster tails and a pile of fries, this was quite appealing at first glance.  The charred lobster tails were prepared perfectly with juicy and bouncy meat.  It was barely cooked through retaining much of the natural sweetness and aroma.  They were basted some roasted garlic & herb butter which was also well-salted.  I enjoyed the fries as well since they were uniformly crispy.  They came with the classic watercress dip.

My mom went for her standby being the Steak Frites.  We asked for medium-rare and it came out as such.  The steak was sufficiently tender with a decent char and proper seasoning.  We found the demi-glace rather salty as well and being maybe a bit too thick.  It did have plenty of flavour as a result which meant the steak was not lacking flavour.  As for the fries, they were exactly like the ones on my plate and hence, they were pretty good.  

For dessert, we shared 2 of them including the Colossal Chocolate Cake.  Bringing back quasi-memories of the one I had at Claim Jumper, this was 6 layers tall and plenty chocolatey. I found the cake itself to be moist and not particularly sweet.  In between, the chocolate ganache was flavourful and purposefully sweet.  I found it plenty rich, but not heavy.  This cake was good and although we were full, we dusted it off.  I think the restrained sweetness and rich dark chocolate flavour made this cake.  Would definitely eat this again.

The other dessert was the Pistachio & White Chocolate Crème Brûlée.  Although it looked big, the plate was pretty shallow.  That was actually a good thing as a crème brûlée shouldn't be deep.  Hence, there was just enough creamy and lightly sweet custard underneath.  It was a bit nutty, but not too strong with pistachio.  The sugar topping shattered beautifully and provided the sweetness for the dessert.  Overall, Milestones Test Kitchen is not bad.  Sure, there could be some improvements made with most of the dishes, but compared to say...  the defunct White Spot R&D, it is miles ahead.  Now hopefully they bring back the Thai Drumettes!

The Good:

- Ample portions

- Not bad

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Salt levels are a bit high

- Not bad, but could use further refinement

Happy Hour @ Trattoria (Burnaby)

After a delicious and well-priced Happy Hour at Italian Kitchen in Downtown, I planned to visit Trattoria in Burnaby for a similar experience.  For those who do not know, Trattoria belongs to the Glowbal Group, much like its older sibling, Italian Kitchen.  It is a bit more casual and relaxed compared to the higher-end Italian Kitchen.  Originally, I tried to make a reservation for Happy Hour (from 3:00pm to 5:00pm everyday), but apparently, they only take walk-ins during that time.  No worries though as we didn't have any difficultly finding a table.  Also, for those worried about parking, especially since Happy Hour happens during rush hour, they have underground parking (albeit not validated) available.

Seeing how we had 5 people, I really dove into the menu and ordered a bunch of dishes, but they started us off with an Amuse Bouche (Arancini).  These were crispy with medium-soft risotto in the middle with melted cheese.  Our first actual dish was the Baked Meatballs.  These large meatballs were soft and tender with natural meat texture still hanging around.  They were well-seasoned with the herbs coming through.  It was topped with a tangy tomato sauce as well as melted cheese.

Next up was the Shrimp & Calamari Fritto Misto.  This was a generous portion of tender, yet with a bite, squid.  It was buttery and not dry despite the batter being crispy and staying adhered to each piece.  It was also properly seasoned too.  As for the shrimp, it had a buttery snap.  Some shishitos were added to the mix and they were good too being tender but still intact.  Some calabrian chili aioli was served on the side.

Unlike the Bruschetta found at Italian Kitchen, the ones here were constructed using pizza bread.  Hence, they were a whole lot larger and ate differently.  We had the Tomato & Basil as well as the Zucchini & Stracciatella.  With classic tomato sweetness and tang to go with the fresh basil and EVOO, the original was the best in our opinion.  Pizza bread was chewy with some crispy parts and soft insides.  I thought the hummus on the latter made things a bit heavy and when combined with the zucchini, asparagus and stracciatella, the whole thing was wet.

One of the best deals on the Happy Hour menu has to be the Beef Carpaccio.  Sure, it consists of extremely thin slices of beef, but the plate was pretty huge.  The beef had a nice colour to it and was buttery and tender.  The mustard dressing was creamy with a bite while the amount of shaved pecorino added the right amount of salt.  Crunch and more salt came in the form of fried capers and some peppery brightness was provided by the baby arugula.  Brushed with EVOO, the pizza bread triangles were nutty, crispy and a good compliment to the beef.

Accompanied by the same delicious pizza bread triangles, the Sicilian Mussels was another solid dish.  Loved the large and plump mussels in this dish as opposed to the often scrawny PEI mussels (although they do taste great!).  I found these ones to be more briny than sweet.  They were just barely cooked through and bathed in broth consisting of olives, capers, nduja sausage, white wine and lemon.  Due to the sausage, it was plenty spicy and salty.  Nice acidity to balance though.

We ended up with two of their pizzas.  For only $15.00, they were a good deal, especially the fully loaded Funghi.   As you can see, there was a good amount of smoked pancetta, mushrooms, 

creamed leeks, sprouts and provolone.  Hence, we had salty smokiness to go with the woodsiness of the mushrooms.  Nice charring on the crust too.  We also went for the basic Margherita and due to less components on top, the crust was crispier.  Tomato sauce was tangy while the fresh basil (placed on top after the pizza was done) was impactful.

There are two pastas on the Happy Hour menu and we got both of them.  The first was the Bolognese with house-made penne.  I thought this was a competent pasta where the penne was al dente with a nice chew.  As for the sauce, it was definitely meaty with a proper viscosity.  It was thick with a mild tomato flavour while somewhat creamy due to the proper amount of milk/cream.  There was balancing amount of sweetness.

So the bolognese was good, but the Tagliatelle Ghiottone was even better in our opinion.  It featured firm pasta that was bathed in a delicious cream sauce.  I thought it was just rich enough that each strand of pasta was coated without it being heavy.  Little nuggets of tender chicken were plentiful while the slight hint of brandy was in the background.  Some parm added the necessary saltiness.

Although desserts are not part of the Happy Hour menu, we decided to get two of them anyways.  The first was the Torta di Cioccolato (or flourless chocolate torte).  This was rich and chocolatey while not dry (even though it looks it in the picture).  Really enjoyed the nutty hazelnut cream and the particularly the crunchy and sweet candied hazelnuts.  Even though some might view it as gimmick, the Signature Tableside Tiramisu is worth ordering.  I've had it before and it was quite good.  This was prepared tableside and in reality, there wasn't that much of a show.  Yet, since was made-to-order, it had not been sitting around in a fridge all day.  Hence, the espresso-soaked lady fingers were fluffy and not overly wet.  The mascarpone was creamy and stable (not separating) with just enough sweetness.  A good helping of freshly shaved chocolate completed the dessert.  Overall, the Happy Hour at Trattoria was good and featured a good amount of dishes.  We felt it was good value and worth a return visit.

The Good:

- Generally tasty food

- Excellent service

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- Would've preferred the bruschetta on crostinis rather than pizza bread

- Wished parking was validated