Churn Cafe

On our last day in Portland, we headed up to the Boise neighborhood in the Northern portion of the city.  Along N Mississippi Ave, we visited 2 places starting with the Asian-infused brunch and beverages.  The place is rather cute and has lots of character.  We did our ordering on the big screens in the front and all the food arrived promptly at our table afterwards.  The places was bustlin', especially for a weekday.  After we dug into our food and drinks, it was quite apparent why.

If there was any confusion about the fusion, it was easily understood with the Coffee Flight featuring a bit of influence from many different Asian cultures.  The Vietnamese Coffee was not as strong as other versions I've had, yet, that was a good thing as it was went down smooth with balanced sweetness.  As for the Ube Latte, it was sweet and aromatic.  While the Pandan Latte was nutty and aromatic, it could've been stronger.  Also sweet, but with bitter notes, the Strawberry Matcha Latte had some milky fruity vibes.

Probably my favorite dish of our meal was incidentally the first one to hit the table.  It was the Okonomiyaki Crepe.  This fully-loaded creation had bacon, sautéed cabbage, eggs and Swiss cheese topped with okonomi sauce, kewpie mayo, bonito flakes and nori.  We added smoked salmon for good measure.  This definitely captured the essence of an Okonomiyaki with all of the components.  There was a smoky element to it from the bacon and salmon.  Loved the texture of the crepe as it was light and slightly eggy but had some chew to it as well.

Moving on, we had something quite Southern with Chinese twist.  We found 2 pieces of Fried Chicken with a house-made biscuit and Chinese sausage gravy.  The chicken itself was pretty textbook with a crunchy batter and rendered skin.  Inside, the meat was super juicy and tender.  The chicken itself as well as the batter was properly-seasoned.  As for the biscuit, it was buttery and featured a soft interior.  The gravy itself was classic white sauce, but with the sausage, it had a cured saltiness.

We also tried a pasta dish in the Yuzu Cream Pasta with shrimp, masago and mushrooms.  This would look completely at home in a Japanese pasta joint, so kudos to them for its on point preparation.  Featuring al dente spaghetti, the dish started off on the right foot.  It was enveloped by just enough yuzu cream sauce, which was bright and well-seasoned.  The plethora of masago provided pops of the sea in every bite.  On top, the shrimp were buttery with a sweet snap.

Back to the fried chicken, we had the Fried Chicken and Pandan Waffle.  This was another take on the classic dish with the addition of pandan to the waffle.  Although you can't really tell from the outside of the crispy waffle, the inside was beautifully green.  It was lightly sweet with aromatics and a bit of nuttiness.  I liked eating it plain, but there was syrup on the side.  As for the fried chicken, it was the same as the previous dish being juicy on the inside while crunch on the outside.

That previous dish was heading somewhere towards sweet, so it was nice transition to the stunning Ube French Toast.  Exhibiting its beautiful shade of purple, the ube came through mildly with sweetness and aroma.  The toast was well-soaked being a bit custardy with a lightly crisp exterior.  Since it was rather light-tasting, the addition of custard cream and ube condensed milk provided all of the necessary sweetness.  Furthermore, it gave the dish some creaminess.  

Ending off things on a lighter note, we had the Very Berry Crepe.  The crepe was somehow a bit more moist than the one in the okonomiyaki for some reason.  That was a good thing though as it had a nice tender chew to it with elasticity.  It was topped with fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries.  The plate was finished off with a mixed berry compote.  Overall, the brunch at Churn Cafe was impressive with its diverse options where many had an Asian twist.  Portions were generous and the people are nice.

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

The Good:
- On point Asian twist on brunch
- Large portions
- Cute spot

The Bad:
- Parking in the area can be tough to find
- On the pricier side

The Screen Door

It has been a long time since I've been back to The Screen Door.  In fact, count it 10 years ago that I dine on their Southern cuisine at their Burnside location.  It isn't as if I didn't want to go back, but since I'm only in Portland infrequently, there are just too many great places to dine at while I'm there.  Well, here I am back at the Burnside location to sample their wares once again.  Unlike last time, I wasn't sitting outside (which was nice btw) since it was rather cold (in Winter).

We started with a classic in the Crispy Fried Oysters dredged in cornmeal and served with housemade tartar sauce.  These were excellent with a uniformly crunchy exterior that was not heavy nor greasy.  It was properly seasoned as is, but the light tartar helped add creaminess, tanginess and brightness from the dill.  As for the oysters themselves, they were buttery and briny while just barely cooked through.  The juiciness was a nice contrast from the little nuggets of crunch from the cornmeal.

Of course we couldn't forget about their Chicken & Waffles right?  We opted for the 2 piece (breasts) that sat atop a sweet potato waffle.  Sporting little crunchy bits strewn throughout the exterior of the tender and juicy chicken breasts, the fried chicken was delicious.  It was texturally on point inside and out while properly seasoned as well.  As for the waffle, it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  It was naturally sweet and also aromatic.

Another Screen Door classic is their Lowcountry Shrimp & Grits.  This featured plump and buttery shrimp that were completely seasoned by the rich meaty garlicky tomato sauce. The smokiness and richness oft he bacon really came through. This sat atop creamy cheddar grits that were smooth and the proper consistency (not too runny or thick).  To make it extra silky, we had 2 over-medium eggs as well.  On the side, we found a large buttermilk biscuit served with some jam.  This was buttery and crispy on the outside with a fluffy and slightly salty inside.

One of the more surprising items we had was the Fried Catfish Sandwich.  Thinking that we would be treated to some muddy flavors, we were delighted with the flaky sweetness of the moist catfish.  It was coated in cornmeal, which was crispy and not heavy.  It was served on a griddled bun that was crispy and held up to the wet ingredients well.  The sandwich was finished with a crunchy and bright lemon slaw, dill pickles and house hot sauce mayo.  Good combination of spice, tang, sweetness and saltiness.  Fries on the side were solid too being crispy with soft potato goodness inside.

One of the more basic (if you can actually call this basic) compared to the rest of the dishes was the Cajun Scramble.  This was a combination of andouille sausage, Cajun spices, onion & bell peppers and pepper jack cheese.  Yep, there was some heat from the spices and the sausage while the sweetness from the veggies provided some balance.  I would've liked the eggs to be a bit more fluffy though.  This also came with cheddar grits and a buttermilk biscuit.

The last dish I dug into was our de facto dessert in the Bananas Foster French Toast.  The griddled brioche was soaked in vanilla custard and hence, it was soft like bread pudding.  Nice caramelization on the outside, but further enhanced by the rum-flamed caramelized bananas as it added another layer of sweetness and aromatics.  The dish was finished off with cinnamon & whipped cream.

We also had a couple of cocktails in the Kentucky Bird and the Morning Mule.  Both were refreshing and a good relief from the heaviness of the food.  I thought the Kentucky bird had some great tang and sweetness.  We were also provided with a selection of sauces including the Tartar, Creole Honey Mustard, Parmesan Aioli and Buttermilk Herb Dressing.  I thought the aioli went well with the fries while I strangely liked dipping the fried chicken into the herb dressing.  Honey mustard was also great with the chicken.  Overall, the food at the Screen Door was great as usual.  If you are looking for some Southern eats served in big portions, this is the place to find it.  Maybe next time it won't take me that long to do a repeat visit!

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

The Good:
- Well-prepared Southern eats
- Large portions
- Lively atmosphere

The Bad:
- Well, of course this type of food is heavy, order a cocktail or beverage to wash it down

The Grey Olive

For some reason or another, I haven't been paying much attention to The Grey Olive for the past few years.  After the initial hype, I just stopped going.  It wasn't because the food wasn't good.  I've always enjoyed their solid execution of breakfast and lunch items.  I do believe one of the reasons I stopped going was the lack of seats.  However, that has been rectified as they have taken over the space next to them that used to be an insurance agency (as you can see in the picture because I didn't take a new one).  So it was with great pleasure that we waltzed in and got seated immediately.

We had to get their G.O. Breaky Sandwich with crispy cheese, scrambled egg, black truffle aioli and bacon (can choose sausage or smoked tofu too) on a toasted brioche bun.  Solid sammie with crispy and meaty bacon.  The egg was fluffy and not overdone while the crispy cheese was nutty and indeed texturally awesome.  The bun was soft and held everything together.  There was just enough aioli in there without being too strong.

Now I'm not doing my Fried Chicken Sammie quest anymore, but just had to get the one here.  It was a good decision as the fried chicken thigh was juicy and tender.  The batter on the outside was crunchy and stayed as such even with all the sauce on it.  Now the sauce wasn't exactly super spicy (add $1.00 for that), but it did have a slight kick.  It came with the usual compliments such as crunchy slaw and pickles.  It was also served on brioche and I would say this was pretty solid.  Fries were crispy too.

Moving back to breakfast, we had the Crab Cake Benny with hashbrowns.  The deep fried crab cakes were actually quite good with a crispy exterior and fluffy interior.  The poached eggs were perfectly runny while the Hollandaise was actually not overly heavy.  It was still silky though and had all of its buttery goodness.  A bit more tang would've been perfect.  The side of hashbrowns were super crispy and just somewhat greasy.

Although the French Toast was not really a dessert, we treated it as such.  It featured egg & milk soaked baguette which had a custardy bread pudding like consistency.  That was perfect in our opinion.  It came with whipped cream, butter and syrup.  Overall, The Grey Olive lived up to its past history, but now with more seats!  I don't have many complaints now!  I guess I'll be back more often.

The Good:

- More seats!

- Solid breakfast

- Pricing is reasonable for what you get

The Bad:

- Service was friendly, but a bit hard to get anyone's attention at times

Tap & Barrel (The Amazing Brentwood)

For all the chain restaurants we have in town, one of my favourites is Tap & Barrel.  I find that their food is pretty good and the pricing is reasonable.  Sure, it isn't as fancy as Cactus Club nor Earl's, but it isn't trying to be either.  With that being said, I find that I enjoy their Shipyards and Bridges locations the best.  Now there is one a lot closer to me at The Amazing Brentwood.  So will this be my new favourite location?  Well, we made 2 visits to see if that would be the case.

For our first visit, we actually came for brunch and hence, it was only logical that we had the Double Bacon Benny with crispy potatoes.  Although the English muffin was a bit too toasted, it was somewhat softened by the adequate amount of creamy Hollandaise.  The addition of Cajun spice helped break-up the butteriness.  The poached eggs were nicely runny and the bacon was meaty and not overly crispy.  However, the potatoes were crispy and soft inside.

We also had the Croque Madame with toasted brioche, white cheddar, prosciutto, sunny side egg, truffle bechamel and parsley.  Since they used brioche, this ate much more lightly than regular bread.  It was lightly toasted, so it was still somewhat fluffy inside.  The truffle bechamel was creamy and nicely earthy.  On top, the sunny side egg was runny and it provided even more moisture to the bread.

For myself, I had to get my favourite item here - the PB&J Burger!  I've had my fair share of burgers with peanut butter, but this one is the best I've had.  The savoury and creamy nuttiness was perfectly balanced by the salty and sweet bacon jam.  So much flavour packed into this and the addition of chipotle in the peanut butter only added another layer of flavour.  Also, the beef patty was crispy on the outside and moist in the middle.  This all sat within a soft toasted brioche.

We ordered some appies for the table including Chicken Strips and Waffle Fries as well as Salt & Pepper Wings.  Coated in a crispy breading, the chicken tenders were moist inside.  We opted for the waffle fries and they were crispy.  As for the wings, they were fried enough that the skin was rendered.  The meat was not exactly juicy, but it wasn't overly dry either.  There was enough salt to flavour the wings.

For both visits, we had the Steak Frites.  However, the first version was with a 7oz Sirloin ($34.50) while the second was with the 10oz Prime Rib Medallion ($42.95).  Both came with a peppercorn sauce, arugula salad and of course fries.  The peppercorn sauce was really good being creamy (even creamier the second time) and flavourful.  If I had to compare the steaks, it was predictable that the ribeye was more flavourful and a bit more tender.  With that being said, the sirloin was also tender, but just not as much as the ribeye.  Both were cooked to medium-rare as requested.

Since they have a whole section dedicated to their pizzas, we had to get one in the form of the Hawaiian Heat.  As the name suggests, this was a combination of roasted pineapple, bacon, smoked mozzarella, jalapeño mayo, lime and pomodoro sauce.  It had all of the qualities of a Hawaiian pizza with its sweet and saltiness as well as smokiness, tanginess and of course spice.  The crust itself was decent with a crispy bottom and edges.

One of the more under-the-radar appies was the Crispy Humboldt Squid.  it didn't look like much, but the pieces of squid were tender while the outside was lightly battered and crispy.  It was well-seasoned where the jalapeno mayo added some tangy spice.  We ordered the Seafood Chowder primarily for my daughter.  She thought it was decent, but a bit thin and lacking in ingredients.  For the items that were in the soup, the clams, cod, potatoes and corn were good though.  The addition of Old Bay seasoning gave it some some salty spiciness.

She continued the theme of seafood with the Caper Dill Salmon with featuring oven-roasted steelhead, caper dill aioli, crispy potatoes, asparagus, dill and parsley.  The salmon looked great from the outside, but ultimately, it was overdone.  It wasn't to the point of being dry, but it was no longer moist.  It was properly seasoned though while the sauce was creamy and full of dill.  Crispy potatoes were like the ones from brunch.

My son went for the Porcini-Crusted Beef Dip featuring Certified Angus beef, truffle jack cheese, tiger horseradish sauce,

caramelized onions, French onion jus and crispy onions.  This was quite good with a toasted baguette that kept everything intact while absorbing the jus to its fullest.  Hence, there was plenty of sweetness and rich savouriness to go with the tender beef.  Due to the addition of truffle cheese and porcini, there was plenty of earthiness as well.  Side of tater tots were super crispy.

For myself, I had the West Coast Clubhouse with a side of the same seafood chowder.  This very large sandwich had plenty of tomatoes and arugula as you can see in the picture.  there was also tender grilled chicken breast, crispy bacon, aged white cheddar, smashed avocado and charred fresno aioli.  All of this made for a hearty sandwich that hit all of the flavour notes.  This could've almost been called a melt because the brioche was buttered and grilled on the flattop.  Although rather messy to eat due to the greasiness, the sandwich was excellent and I would order it again.  Overall, the food at Tap & Barrel Brentwood was pretty good. Definitely more of a casual vibe and also a bit less expensive than Earl's.  Earl's is more elevated, but then you are paying for it too.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Expansive dining space on the 2nd floor

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Food lags behind Earl's and Cactus Club (but costs a little less)

Jess' Cafe (Brunch)

Once upon a time, there was a glitzy restaurant on 41st Ave right in the heart of Kerrisdale.  It was high end and served refined dinner plates as well as offering a wonderful high tea service.  Then it moved closer to Korean fusion and now they have gone a complete 180 where brunch/lunch is the game.  In fact, it is the only game as they don't even open for dinner!  So the actual restaurant remains the same, being a bit Vegas-like complete with beautiful washrooms.

In terms of the menu, it is now highly influenced by Korean croffles (croissant waffle).  Then it was no surprise that they had a version in the Korean Fried Chicken & Croffle.  Really solid dish where the croffle was crispy and buttery while not overly heavy despite being squished in a waffle iron.  The fried chicken thighs were juicy and featured a crispy batter.  There was a bit of sweet and slight spice going on.  We added more syrup to make it even sweeter.

The use of croffles continued on with the Eggs Benedict as well.  We tried both the Smoked Salmon Benedict (not pictured) and also the Truffle Mushroom Benedict (pictured).  We added a side of Maple-glazed bacon for good measure.  Despite being perfectly runny with cooked whites, we would've liked to see free form poached eggs instead (it appears they might be doing this now?).  I found the Hollandaise to be rich, buttery and creamy.  Croffle once again was crispy while those hashbrowns were killer.  They were nicely-seasoned and crispy with soft fluffy potato inside.

Another savory item with the croffle, we had the Spicy Chicken Croffle Sandwich.  This ate somewhat like a club sandwich with plenty of ripe tomatoes and lettuce.  Once again, the croffle was great and held everything together.  The spicy mayo was good, but the sandwich could've used more of it.  I thought the grilled chicken wasn't dry, but not particularly juicy either.  I know grilled is healthier, but a fried piece of chicken would've been better?

Okay, onto a dish that didn't feature a croffle, we had the Steak & Eggs featuring a 6oz AAA striploin.  We asked for the steak to be cooked medium-rare and it came out more rare, but in reality, that didn't matter as it was tender.  It was nicely charred.  It came with a side of jus that helped add flavour without overwhelming the natural meatiness.  The 2 sunny side eggs were prepared well with runny yolks and a slightly crispy edge.

One of my favourite dishes of the meal was the Bread Pudding French Toast.  I found the name of the dish appropriate as the bread was soaked enough to create a bread pudding texture.  However, they were able to keep the edges crispy and firm.  On top, we found berries, vanilla ice cream and syrup.  Naturally, this ate on the sweeter side, but not overwhelmingly.  I just liked the textures very much.

From the French toast, we moved onto some actual desserts in the Oreo Croffle as well as the Poached Pear Croffle.  As expected, the croffles were exactly like the ones found in the aforementioned dishes.  If I had to pick one that I liked best, it would've been the pear because it was less sweet and more "elevated".  The Oreo was fine too, but more for those with a sweet tooth.  I liked how they included plenty of cookie portions.

Finally, we had to get some drinks to go with our food right?  Well, they serve %Arabica coffee and we had the Affogato and the Iced Latte.  Both were good with plenty of aromatic coffee flavour while being purposefully sweet.  Nice compliment to our eats.  Overall, the bunch at the reimagined Jess' Cafe is pretty solid.  Portions are generous and the pricing is outright a steal.  Other than the steak & eggs, everything else is well below $20.  Combine this with the decor and ambiance as well as the area, it is a good value.

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

The Good:
- Generous portions
- Well-priced
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- Poached eggs should be free-form (I think they do this now?)
- Maybe too many things with croffles?

Forecast Coffee

I've always wondering how Starbucks Reserve would fare at their Main Street location when it first opened.  Well, it didn't take long for the experiment to end.  Whether it be too niche of a market for their upscale beverages, too big of a space or the pandemic, it is gone.  Now in its place is another coffee shop in the form of Forecast Coffee.  They also serve breakfast, lunch and an array of baked goods, including Wilder Cookies.

We stopped by for a quick bite in the morning and started with a Latte and a Mocha.  Sure these aren't the typical drinks one judges coffee due to the addition of milk and chocolate.  However, that is what we got and for what its worth, they were pretty good.  I thought they were more mild-tasting than other versions I've had, but the flavour was there and it went down smooth.  I found them to be on the sweeter side, good for those who aren't usual coffee drinkers.

You may have noticed the Wilder Salted Caramel Cookie in the previous picture and here it is split open.  This was a fairly large cookie that was quite moist and had a nice chewiness to it.  The base cookie itself was pretty sweet and it didn't help that the salted caramel frosting on top was even sweeter.  For those who like it sweet, this would be for you, but for me, it was far too sweet.  So much so, I didn't even get much of the salt (or maybe it helped amplify the sweetness even more so!).

Off to something savoury, we had the Bacon Breakfast Sandwich that also had a fried egg, lettuce and tomato (hey a BELT!) on a toasted brioche bun.  As simple as this was, the execution and construction was on point.  Everything was neatly assembled where the bacon was crispy, egg still was a bit runny and the produce was fresh.  Loved the soft brioche as it hugged all of the stuff inside. 

On another visit, I picked up some quick lunch in the form of the Fried Chicken Sandwich (yes, I still eat those) with a side of Truffle Fries.  This featured an aggressively breaded and fried chicken breast which somehow remained moist.  The breading was firmly crunchy and well-seasoned.  Personally, I would've liked a lighter exterior.  The whole sammie ate well with some mustard pickles, cabbage slaw, spicy mayo and mesclun greens.  So there was some spice, creaminess, tang and crunch.  The toasted brioche was the right bun for this sandwich where it was soft and airy while retaining its integrity.  I thought the truffle fries were excellent being hot and crispy with just enough seasoning.  It didn't need any dip (as it didn't come with any either) because it was good on its own.

Ending off sweet, we had the Sweet Berry Croffle with berry compote, mascarpone whip and toasted pecans.  This was also good with a waffle iron-pressed croissant that was crispy and light.  In fact, even though it was compacted, it was still airy and not heavy.  I didn't find it buttery enough, but that was a minor point.  Berry compote was tangy and fruity with just enough sweetness.  Overall, Forecast Coffee is a cool space where you can grab a drink, cookie, breakfast and/or lunch.  Things are solid and lots of windows makes it a relaxing place to be.

The Good:
- Simple decor and relaxing spot
- Food is good
- Coffee is good

The Bad:
- Cookies are pretty sweet, but I'm sure some people like that