Aureliana

Due to the dominance of Asian cuisine in the GVRD, we are not blessed with a wide selection of ol' skool-type diners.  You know, the ones with the jukebox, checkered decor and red vinyl seats...  You'd have to travel a bit out of Vancouver proper to find one except for a select few.  There is a newish one on Hastings in Downtown though and it is more of a modern interpretation of a diner, but hey, I'll take it! Jackie and I were invited to try some of their wares and we didn't need to be asked twice!

Due to our impending indulgence with a variety of diner favourites, we did a preemptive strike and got something green in the Rocket Salad.  Naturally, this featured arugula (where rocket is from the French word roquette), pear and pistachio in a lemon dressing.  The arugula was fresh with it's classic pepperiness while balanced off by the sweet tang of the vinaigrette.  We got some more textures from the pear as well as the pistachio.

We were recommended the Mac & Cheese and it delivered.  First of all, the macaroni was firmly al dente, which meant there was texture.  Secondly, there was plenty of cheesiness, but not in a saucy way.  Rather, it had a thick and gooey consistency which had the sharpness of aged white cheddar and slight stringiness of mozzarella.  There was a bit of processed cheese product for saltiness and creaminess.  Some garlic breadcrumb on top provided texture.

One of my favourite items from this meal was the Reuben with pastrami, sauerkraut, signature mustard and Swiss on rye.  For $15.00, we thought this was a good value since they weren't shy about piling on slices of tender and buttery pastrami.  There was also uniformly melted Swiss with just a bit of sauerkraut.  Hence, the sandwich ate full-flavoured without being overly sour.  Even the mustard spread was just enough on the toasted rye.

We also had their 2nd most popular sandwich - Tuna Melt.  This featured light tuna, olive oil, lemon, parsley and American cheese.  As you can see in the picture above, the bread was evenly seared on the flattop being crunchy and deliciously buttery (maybe a bit too buttery?).  Inside, the tuna was super moist with a balanced amount of mayo.  It had enough seasoning for impact and the lemon provided some tangy brightness to counteract the butter.  However, I would've loved even more lemon.

Overflowing with sauteed mushrooms, the Mushroom Burger was tasty.  I found the burger patty had a great maillard with a nice sear and crispy edges.  Inside, the patty was still just a touch pink and plenty moist too.  It was completely covered in melted Swiss and a bunch of onions on top.  This help add a bunch of textures that complimented the soft brioche bun.  Naturally, the thing that stood out was the ample amount of buttery and well-seasoned mushrooms.  Tying it altogether, we had some signature mayo. 

We tried one more burger in the Luna with beef patty, grilled hot dog, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, jalapeno, onion and signature mayo.  This was one hearty creation with the same moist patty as the previous burger.  The combination of bacon, hot dog and melted American cheese made things a bit salty, but the onions, jalapeno and lettuce did help balance things out.  Fortunately, we had a few drinks to wash this all down...

Those drinks happened to be the Vanilla Milkshake and the Root Beer Float.  Thick, creamy and sweet, the milkshake was classic in both texture and taste.  It was well-blended and we could drink it through the straw no problem.  Some amaretti crumble added crunch.  As for the float, it brought back memories of yesteryear.  Of course it was sweet as well, but the combination of woodsy and earthy root beer with sweet vanilla ice cream just went down really well.  Perfect to go with the saltiness of the Luna.

Even though we arrived in the late afternoon, we were still able to try a few breakfast items including the Golden Breakfast featuring pancakes, bacon, fried egg and maple syrup.  These thick and well-seared pancakes were fluffy with a bit of firmness.  Loved the buttery crust that was flavourful and provided texture.  Of course the maple syrup was the perfect compliment, but the crispy bacon did its thing too offsetting the sweetness.  Fried egg still had a runny yolk and that added to fun. 

One last breakfast item we tried was the French Toast with vanilla and lemon custard as well as mascarpone cream.  The well-soaked brioche was custardy and ate like bread pudding.  It was aromatic and sweet with just a bit of tang.  It was also seared enough so that the colour was appealing and caramelization had occurred. Lots of butter really helped this become pretty decadent.  Loved this dish, I would gladly have it many times over.  

We ended things off with a slice of Apple Pie à la Mode.  This was great as the crust was buttery and lightly crispy.  It was coated with cinnamon sugar but was balanced off by the salt in the crust.  It also created another layer of crispiness.  Inside, the slices of apple were tender with just a hint of bite.  Glaze was sweet, but not overly so.  Nice consistency on it.  Scoop of vanilla ice cream was good quality being creamy and rich.  Lovely ending to a solid diner meal.  In fact, I am already planning my return visit as I know my kids would want to try it.  Really good diner that does food right.

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

The Good:
- Solid diner eats
- Nice retro design, but spacious
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Definitely not diet food as this is a diner, things can be on the greasier and saltier side, but hey, it's a diner!

Stackhouse Steak Sandwich (Gastown)

As you know from my previous post about Stackhouse Steak Sandwich, I really enjoyed them and appreciate how reasonably-priced they are.  I'm not the only one having that sentiment because now they have opened a second location in Gastown.  Setting up shop in the former Brathaus, the space offers a few counter seats and one table.  Their menu is pretty much the same as the original location but with the addition of breakfast sandwiches.  We came to try those as well as some classics.

So let's get right to those aforementioned breaky sammies right?  They have 4 to choose from including the ones pictured above - Steak & Egg and Steak, Bacon & Egg.  Okay, I first have to say that they made a good choice in bun.  They are using the Gold Bun by Dempsters.  Featuring soft brioche that won't disintegrate either, I found it the perfect vessel for the fillings.  With fluffy egg, tender steak, processed cheese and mayo, the sandwich wasn't complicated, but ate well.  The addition of bacon with steak made it a pretty filling sammie.

The other 2 available options for breakfast sandwiches include the Pulled Pork & Egg and the Bacon & Egg.  I found the pulled pork to be the most flavourful due to the sweet and slightly tangy BBQ sauce.  The pork itself was tender and moist without being overly saucy.  As for the bacon & egg, I actually preferred it over the one with steak.  Without the steak, it allowed the bacon to be the star and it was so meaty and lean already.  The sandwich didn't need more meat.

Okay, let's get back to the regular programming and focus on what has made them successful - the Stackhouse Steak Sandwich.  With beef prices these days, it is amazing they can keep this sandwich at $15.00.  They didn't skimp with the flat-iron steak here it was also cooked to around medium-rare, keeping it juicy and tender.  With some fried onions for texture and aroma as well as a generous helping of chimichurri, we had some real brightness as well.  

For those who want a softer bread experience, they could opt for the Beef Dip Sandwich.  This particular sammie consisted of tender and juicy beef brisket with, melted cheese, horseradish and fried onions.  That in itself could be a tasty concoction already, but with a side of beef jus, it allowed for the bread to soften up and absorb more meatiness.  Loved the crispy onions and wished there were even more as it provided texture to the softness after the sandwich was dipped.

The most unique item on their menu has to be the Steak Tartare Open Sandwich. Yes, this would probably best eaten in-store or as quickly as possible since it is raw.  I gotta say this has to be better than some restaurants, let alone a sandwich shop.  Diced into manageable pieces, the beef was tender and buttery.  It was made with classic accompaniments such as dijon, crushed capers, red onion and parsley.  It also featured a jammy sous-vide egg yolk.  Delicious on the bread, but even better on the ripple chips.

Of course they also have options for non-beef eaters with the Chicken Dip Sandwich.  As you can clearly see, they didn't cheap out on the nicely seasoned and sliced chicken breast.  There was enough for every fulfilling bite.  It was tender and moist while topped with melted cheese, horseradish and chicken skin crackling (some parsley too).  Just like the beef dip, this made for a great sandwich without the chicken jus, but for those who wanted something softer and saucier, the mild jus did just that.

If one didn't want beef nor chicken, there is also a BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich available.  Rest assured, behind all that fresh and crunchy cabbage, there was a good amount of tender and fully-sauced pulled pork.  Just like in the breaky sandwich, the BBQ sauce was sweet and slightly tangy.  The pulled pork and cabbage provided the necessary moisture to soften the bread.  Onion chips provided the crunch beyond the crust of the bread too.

We had a few of their sides as well just like the other location, they are full-service restaurant quality.  Check out the Caesar Salad and the 2 anchovies on top.  I can tell you that not many quick-service restaurants offer such a quality salad like this.  On the same theme, the French Onion Soup was also legit with charred melted cheese on top with a piece of baguette underneath and a rich onion broth.  Unlike many other versions, it was not salty, just natural sweetness of the onions.

One last item on the menu is the Chips & Dip.  We didn't order that since we had chips with all of our sammies already.  But we really wanted the Truffle Aioli, so we got that separately.  Make sure you get a side of that as it is so creamy with just enough truffle.  The chips are naked without it.  Overall, I enjoyed the food at Stackhouse as they put effort into the product and it shows.  Things taste good and the textures are on point.  Prices are reasonable too.  Now they have breakfast sandwiches too!

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Beef is tender and cooked properly

- Legit sides

The Bad:

- It is probably a limitation of the kitchen, so the egg is microwaved.  It still eats well, but the shape is a bit odd.

Ess-a-Bagel

From one bagel shop to another, we made our way to the ever-popular Ess-a-Bagel.  Due to its proximity from Utopia Bagels, we ended up at the West 32nd Street location.  Compared to Utopia, Ess-a-Bagel is more known for their giant bagel sandwiches and therefore, we snagged one of the precious seats and ordered a few them.  Oh, we also got some to go too!

Well, there was only one choice for Viv and it was the Signature Favorite on a Poppy Seed Bagel.  This was fully-loaded with sliced Nova (Lox), scallion cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and capers.  We got the butteriness and saltiness of the lox combined with its classic running mate - scallion cream cheese.  But with lettuce and tomatoes, we go much more moisture and it actually helped dilute the saltiness of the lox and heaviness of the cream cheese.  Of course, the sharpness and crunch of the onions and tanginess of the capers were also a classic compliment.  The bagel itself was pretty firm and chewy, so all of these ingredients helped offset that.

For myself, I went for the Eggstacy with ham, sausage and cheddar all on a Pumpernickel Bagel.  They really didn't skimp on the cheese and it was ooey gooey wonderfulness.  The egg was a bit overdone, but the sausage and ham provided some needed moisture.  I found the pumpernickel bagel to be even firmer and denser than the poppy seed bagel.  Loved the rich earthy sweetness of the bagel.

Of course I had to compare their Sesame Bagel with the one at Utopia.  First off, it was slightly bigger and had the same amount of sesame seeds.  Hence, there was the aroma and nuttiness of sesame seeds in taste and smell.  Texturally, I thought these were denser and heavier than the ones at Utopia.  After toasting, the outside was crunchy while the inside got a bit softer with an appealing chew.

Yep, got the Everything Bagel as well, but in both classic and whole wheat.  There was an obvious textural difference between the two.  Predictably, the whole wheat was a bit more robust and nutty.  With a mix of the usual sesame seeds (black & white), poppy seeds, onion and garlic, we had the usual aromatics of an everything bagel.  Once again, we made sure we didn't burn any of these.

So for our sweet bagel, we had the Cinnamon Raisin.  Beyond the size difference and denser bagel, this one here was not that dissimilar than the one at Utopia.  Yet, it was a little more dense and chewy as mentioned before.  Overall, we thought the bagels at Ess-a-Bagel to be good and pretty large in size.  They went well with the components of our sandwiches.  But if I really had to compare, the classic bagels from Utopia had a texture that was more to our liking.

The Good:

- Large bagels

- Those sandwiches are fully-loaded and tasty

- Thick crispy exterior

The Bad:

- More dense than others I've had, but okay for those who like it

- Long lineups

Utopia Bagels

On our last day in NYC before an evening flight, we made the trek out into midtown searching for some bagels.  The first stop was at Utopia Bagels out on East 34th Street.  Founded in 1980 at its original Queens location, Utopia is known for its hand-made bagels.  We made it rather early on a Sunday, so the place was only a bit busy.  We ended up grabbing a selection of bagels to bring home.

The most basic one in our bag of bagels was the Sesame.  After being toasted, the bagel exhibited classic NYC-style texture and density.  The exterior was crunchy, yet wasn't hard nor dense.  Inside, we found the desired chew, but it was still soft at the same time.  In terms of taste, the bagel was savory and not sweet (like the ones we had in Montreal at Fairmount).  The nuttiness of the sesame was very apparent.

Of course we went for the Everything Bagel as well (it is our favorite!).  Naturally, with sesame seeds, there was similar elements to the previous bagel, but adding poppy seeds (not very many), onion and garlic meant we had more complexity.  Be careful toasting this one up though since you do not want to burn the garlic.

Something a bit different was the Jalapeno Cheddar.  As you can see, this was almost completely covered with cheese.  As a result, the salty and nutty cheesiness was at the forefront.  Furthermore, this made the bagel a bit more moist and less crunchy on the outside (in particular, the side with the cheese.  Some tangy spice was provided by the jalapenos.

Moving over to the sweeter bagels, we tried the Cinnamon Raisin.  This was definitely sweeter and especially with pops of flavor from the raisins, it was great with some basic cream cheese or even good quality butter.  This could all be said about the Blueberry Bagel as well, except with a more muted sweetness.  A little bit more moisture from the blueberries though.  After toasting, both had the same crunchy exterior like the other bagels while being chewy, yet soft inside.  

Our last bagel in our order was the French Toast Bagel.  Yes, this was mapley-sweet with hits of cinnamon and a bit more sweetness from the powdered sugar.  Texturally, it was still classic bagel with a soft chewiness.  Really enjoyed this one, but I highly recommend that you get this in a separate bag because it took on all the essence of the everything bagel.

Overall, the bagels at Utopia were exactly what we prefer - soft but chewy with a nice crunchy exterior after being toasted.  They also have a wide selection of flavors too.

The Good:

- Classic bagel texture

- Lots of options

- Manageable size

The Bad:

- Lines can be a little long

Father's Day Brunch @ Coast Langley City Hotel & Convention Centre

After going to The Victor in the The Parq hotel for Mother's Day, we decided to go for something out of Downtown Vancouver for Father's Day.  We went back to the well and headed out into Langley to The Coast Hotel for their bunch buffet.  I've been here a few times before and for special occasions, the cost is a bit higher, but the selection increases as well.  Normally, the brunch goes for $44.95 for adults, but for Father's Day, it was $68.00.

They hold the brunch in their ballroom and in the centre we found a Charcuterie Board, Salads and Seafood (Clams, Mussels & Cocktail Shrimp).  The meat and cheese board was pretty fruitful while the grilled veggies was one of my favourites.  As for the seafood, the clams were buttery while the mussels were plump.  The cocktail shrimp were quite large (yes, an oxymoron) and cold-water crunchy.

Some of the food stations spilled outside of the ballroom including Dim Sum and Sushi.  We found cute bunny Custard Buns, Shrimp Dumplings and Sticky Rice (wrapped in lotus leaves) in steamers.  These were actually quite decent.  The selection of sushi was sufficient and it was more or less acceptable given this was a buffet.  Of course it would never be confused with sushi found at a good Japanese restaurant.  There was also 2 Soups available: Seafood Chowder & Beef Chili.  Both were good with the chowder being creamy and loaded with seafood.

Naturally, there was also a Breakfast Station with all the usual items including Hashbrowns, Scrambled Eggs, Sausages (Pork & also Turkey), Bacon, Corned Beef Hash and Black Bean & Corn Hash.  Nothing out of the ordinary here with things being solid.  Eggs were still fluffy and not overdone.  Bacon was meaty and crispy.  Loved the soft poached eggs atop the corned beef hash.

They have a made-to-order Eggs Benedict Station that features 4 versions.  These included Mushroom, Cajun Shrimp, Smoked Salmon and Honey Ham.  For a buffet, these turned out to be more-than-acceptable.  The English muffin was lightly-toasted, so it was still a bit soft.  Eggs were poached to our liking and we chose runny.  On top, the Hollandaise was decent being silky and buttery.  On the opposite side of this station was made-to-order omelettes, but we didn't get any of them. 

Adjacent to the eggs benny was the Carvery.  It consisted of sausages, ribs, Ham, Smoked Brisket, Prime Rib and Angus Beef.  Ribs were actually quite good being tender and meaty.  Brisket didn't look very promising at first, but it was quite moist, even for the flat.  It was decently flavourful with some smokiness.  As for the prime rib, it was tender and medium-rare.

The last section consisted of random dishes that included Spring Rolls, Fried Shrimp, Burnt Ends and Crispy Pork Belly.  Moving on from that, we found Grilled Lamb T-Bone and Lobster Mac n' Cheese as well as Basil Fried Rice, Roast Potatoes and Whipped Potato Gratin.  I didn't actually get to eat everything here, but ironically, the one thing that I really enjoyed, the Sablefish & Salmon, I didn't get a picture of it.  The fish was not overcooked being buttery and soft. 

Also spilling outside of the ballroom, we found a decent Dessert spread.  We found a variety of small bites, cakes, chocolate fountain and mini-desserts.  My favourite was the Calamnsi Tart as it was bright and featured a firm buttery crust.  Loved the Mango Sago Pannacotta.  Tasted like the actual thing but being a bit custardy.  Right behind the dessert station, we found 3 juices including Cranberry, Orange and Apple.  Even further back, there was a small station for kids that included chicken nuggets.  Yes, this brunch buffet was not without choice and for the money, totally worth it.  If you are in the area or want to go for a Sunday drive, you will be pleasantly-surprised.

The Good:
- Lots of variety
- Generally well-prepared eats
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Not the fanciest setting, but it doesn't matter to me