Ā Mā Chicken Rice

Ah yes, Hainanese Chicken aka Chicken Rice is a dish that is popular in most parts of Asia.  It originated, as the name implies, in the Hainan Province of China.  Through travel, it has spread across SE Asia and has morphed into different versions.  Yet, the basic premise is the same, poached chicken served with chicken oil rice and all the condiments (which are similar or different depending on the location).  It seems like a simple dish, but as you know, those are the type of things that you can easily mess up.  Our latest food adventures has brought us to Ā Mā Chicken Rice in Redmond.  This is a Cambodian restaurant and hence this is the version of chicken rice that we got to try (among other things).

So let's get right to it with the Chicken Rice accompanied by the aforementioned chicken oil rice, sweet chili sauce and what I like to call "crack sauce" made of fermented soybean, sugar and ginger.  Very reminiscent of Nong's Khao Man Gai in Portland (albeit the Thai version).  At the table, there was also the classic ginger & scallion condiment as well as chili crunch.  I found the chicken oil rice to be super delicious with enough seasoning and aromatics for impact.   The rice itself was not mushy while not being hard either.  The dark meat chicken was buttery and succulent while flavourful on its own.  Best thing to dip the chicken into was the crack sauce as it was a bit of everything with some spice.  However, the ginger & scallion condiment was a classic match too, especially since it was mostly ginger.

For those who wanted something a bit different, yet still technically qualify as chicken rice is the Crispy Chicken Rice.  So the rice for this was exactly like the previous dish, therefore it was an excellent base to start with.  On top, there was a considerable amount of deep-fried chicken breast.  As much as it was white meat, it was still tender and almost juicy.  On the outside, it was plenty crispy with a fairly thick coating.  To compliment the fried chicken, I thought the fermented soybean sauce to be the best match.  It really brought the chicken to life with sweet and savoury elements.

Another dish we had which was on point was the Phnom Penh Noodles.  If you have ever been to Phnom Penh in Vancouver, you will be very familiar with this dish.  It comes in both dry and soup form, where we tried both.  I personally love the Dry Phnom Penh Noodles myself as the flavors are more concentrated.  Consisting of rice noodles mixed with a sweetened soy sauce, the bowl was full of liver, ground pork, shrimp, green onions and fried shallots.

The soup version of the Phnom Penh Noodles sports the basically the same ingredients except instead of the soy mix, everything sat in a hot broth.  I felt the broth was clean, sweet, a bit meaty and slightly briny.  Noodles were still al dente despite sitting in the hot broth.  It soaked up some of the flavors and tasted good on its own.  However, I enjoyed using the chili crunch to amp things up a bit.

Other than the chicken rice, the other best dish of the meal was the Ā Mā Dried Noodles.  These had thinner and firmer egg noodles that were topped with ground pork and dried shrimp, dried mushrooms and a piece of that fried chicken.  This was so savory and full of umami.  Noodles had a nice elasticity and chew to them.  Overall, the food at Ā Mā Chicken Rice is delicious and well-prepared.  Portions are good and the prices are reasonable.  Great for a casual meal any day of the week.

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

The Good:

- Delicious

- Reasonable pricing

- Ample portions

The Bad:

- Super busy and a wait for a table is normal

- Tight seating

Pho 24 Express

When Emily remarked she was "getting tired of eating out" after our multiple culinary forays during the Chinese Restaurant Awards and Poutine Challenge, I remained skeptical.  Tired of eating?  Yah right...  But after a Friday night league game, I was beginning to realize what she meant.  It was if I was suffering from eating fatigue.  A 2-month stretch of non-stop eating (sometimes up to 4 dinners a night) was beating me down.  Yes, #firstworldproblems  Hence, Milhouse and I went for something lighter at Pho 24 Express.

As for the aforementioned Pho, we had the Pho Dac Biet in the extra-large size.  Unlike the version at Pho Extreme Xe Lua, this one actually consisted of more noodles and meat rather than just broth.  We found the broth to be clean yet rather light tasting.  It was mildly sweet, but not much in the way of meatiness.  Noodles were chewy while the meats were decently tender.  We also shared the Phnom Penh Dry Noodles which were pretty average.  It was nowhere as good as the versions found at Phnom Penh and Pho Tan.  The noodles were pretty clumpy without the aid of enough "sauce".  That also meant there was a lack of flavour and impact.  On the other hand, there was enough supporting ingredients to keep things interesting.

For good measure, we added the Banh Mi Dac Biet.  It featured light and airy bread that was toasted up until crusty.  There wasn't exactly a boatload of cold cuts nor pickled veggies, but the sandwich ate pleasantly nonetheless.  With that being said, the overall flavours were rather mild due to the lack of ingredients.  On the flip-side, this was still pretty decent considering the place doesn't specialize in banh mi.

Suffering from the same eating fatigue symptoms, we returned the following week for a bowl of Bo Kho Noodles.  Also in extra-large form, the soup base was aromatic, yet weak at the same time.  There was the sweetness of carrots and a certain meatiness, but it lack depth-of-flavour.  Furthermore, the little cubes of beef were dry and somewhat chewy.  Changing things up, we got the Lemongrass Pork Chop, Chicken and Shredded Pork Broken Rice with Fried Egg.  Sure, the pork chop was on the drier side, but it was not particularly chewy.  However, it lacked char much like the chicken.  They were well-marinated though with obvious lemongrass hits.  I enjoyed the chewy broken rice underneath as it didn't soften too much from the egg yolk.  So as much as the food at Pho 24 Express is not the best I've had, it is definitely serviceable especially for late night.

The Good:
- Extra-large is actually extra-large
- Reasonable pricing
- Fairly good service

The Bad:
- Flavours are generally weak
- Good for late night, but there are better options 
 

Angkor Restaurant

As much as Phnom Penh is synonymous with Cambodian food in Vancouver, there are, in fact, other places where one can get similar eats including those famed chicken wings (albeit usually not as good).  After Sunday morning hockey, Milhouse, Kaiser Soze, JuJu and myself decided to hit up Angkor for some Cambodian eats in hopes of finding an alternative to the always busy aforementioned Phnom Penh (and the fact it has been blogged to death!).

For myself, I ended up getting the Phnom Penh Dry Rice Noodles which was pretty good.  Topped with the usual seafood and meats including shrimp, liver, sliced pork and ground pork, it was also sauced with a sweet soy.  When mixed together with the chewy noodles and side of blanched sprouts, it was a good balance between savoury and sweet.  The noodles were a bit clumpy though.  The accompanying pork bone soup was sweet with a good amount of melt-in-my-mouth meat.  Milhouse had the Angkor Beef Stew Noodles which looked quite appetizing.  Sampling the soup and it was indeed flavourful and somewhat aromatic.  There was depth and a sweet meatiness.  As for the meat itself, it was fatty and tender while the noodles were al dente.

Kaiser Soze had the Phnom Penh Rice Noodle Soup in a sweet, flavourful broth.  Obviously aided by MSG, there was depth which helped flavour the noodles.  The meats were tender and abundant while the large pork bone was a treat.  JuJu wanted to be different, so he went with the Chhar Kropus & Rice.  The prawns had a meaty snap while being bathed in a garlicky and onion spiked stir-fry.  The rice itself was dry enough to absorb the moisture without getting too soft.  As tasty as it was, JuJu was left a bit hungry due to the modest portion size.

No matter though as we got a large order of the Deep Fried Chicken Wings to share.  Served with 2 large bowls of lemon pepper dip, this was trending towards the Phnom Penh version.  Yet, it was not as good.  Although lightly crisp on the outside, the skin was not a rendered nor was the wings themselves that flavourful.  Inside, the meat was juicy though. Although not without faults, Angkor offered up eats that satisfied.  Furthermore, the prices were very reasonable.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Decent eats
- Good service

The Bad:
- Modest portions

Pho Express Angkor Noodle House

Milhouse and JuJu are great friends.  Why?  For starters, they put up with my constant yammering about food and they still continue to eat with me.  Second, they often order way too much food to my complete joy.  Third, they are really accommodating where they will travel for food.  That was the case just prior to Burger Palooza (like I needed more food...).  I needed to be on Robson, so they joined me at Pho Express Angkor Noodle House.  Although they boasted Thai food, we stuck with the Vietnamese portion of the menu.

We shared an order of Spring Rolls to start which were constructed with rice paper.  However, we found it to be fried too long and/or the rice paper had dried out too much.  Therefore, the exterior was tough exhibiting a firm crunchiness.  Inside, the filling was dense and that only added to the overall heaviness of the spring roll.  It did taste okay though with mild hints of fish sauce and sweet onion.  For myself, I went for a small bowl of Bun Bo Hue because I had another dish coming (you didn't think I'd eat only one small bowl right???).  I found the broth to be super mild despite the oil slick.  I didn't sense much lemongrass either.  The soup was still flavourful, but just not in a typical Bun Bo Hue fashion.  Noodles weren't too soft while the meats were tender.

Both Milhouse and JuJu had bowls of Pho, however, Milhouse went for the XL size.  I was able to sample the broth and it was definitely more savoury than sweet.  It didn't appear to contain much MSG as it was on the light side.  We also couldn't pick out individual flavours either.  Whatever the case, the flavours were clean.  As for the noodles, they were plentiful and al dente whereas the meat were sliced thin and easy to eat.  Not to be outdone, JuJu went for the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi as well.  Hidden in the crusty and fairly light baguette, there was plenty of chicken.  It was well-charred and flavourful, yet with only the lightest hint of lemongrass.  The pickled veggies were julienned thin and more tart than sweet.

Lastly, I had the Lemongrass Chicken on Rice which was a bit anti-climactic as the meat was exactly like the one in the Banh Mi.  It was well-charred where the skin was completely rendered.  However, once again, the lemongrass was not really there while the chicken meat was a touch on the dry side.  The rice was good though, being chewy while not dry. Although not without some faults, we felt the food at Pho Express Angkor Noodle House (what a mouthful!) to be more than acceptable given its location in Downtown and its reasonable pricing.

The Good:
- Inexpensive for Robson
- Decent portions
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Of course there is better outside of Downtown, but this is Downtown...
- Looks like the decor has been leftover from the many previous restaurants (not unlike many Vietnamese restaurants)

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh???  Hasn't this joint been blogged about by a gazillion people???  Well not that many, but you get the idea.  No, Phnom Penh is not exactly a hidden gem anymore. Go back 15 years and include their long gone Broadway location, it was a somewhat hidden gem then.  I remember Rich Guy and I would go there all the time for their Luc Lac Beef and Chicken Wings.  Heck, we still do that.  Things just don't change, except for our age.  Yikes!  Well, seeing how I haven't blogged about the place in nearly 5 years, we decided to hit up the place after Monday night softball. 

Okay, let's cut to the chase.  We were here mainly for their famous Fried Chicken Wings.  These crispy pieces of joy were wok tossed with onions, garlic, chilies, pepper, MSG and salt.  Served on the side was the necessary and highly effective lemon white pepper dip. Another one of their most popular dishes is the Butter Beef.  Now personally, I find it not bad, but not exactly outstanding either.  The reason for this is the beef itself.  I find it overly chewy for a nearly rare application.  However, the seasoning rocked in my opinion.  It was a good combination of salty, sweet, tart and herbal (from the cilantro).  On the other hand, I found that there was just a touch too much of it on the plate, but I can see cilantro lovers disagreeing with me.

We had another classic item being the Dry Noodles.  It consisted of flat egg noodles with shrimp, ground pork, pork slices, liver, dried shrimp, fried onions, cilantro and green onions bathed in a sweet and salty soy concoction.  Mixed together, all the different textures and flavours created a symphony in my mouth.  Yes, other places offer the same dish, but Phnom Penh does it best.  Going off the board, we decided to give the Fried Rice Cake (Bot Chien) a try.  This was a simple stir-fry of fried rice cake cubes, egg and green onion.  Naturally, the rice cake cubes were dense, but they had a pleasant chew.  The side of sweet chili soy added the necessary flavour as the dish itself was quite mild.

Back to the the classics, we had the Oyster Pancake.  It had a nice exterior crispiness which gave way to a starchy "oystery" (I realize that is not a word...) interior.  This was a good dish, but paled in comparison to one of their most popular items (chicken wings withstanding) being the Luc Lac Beef (or Filet of Beef with fried egg).  Just something about the way they prepare it, it just works.  From the tender slices of beef to the rich, flavourful sauce, I could eat this over and over again (wait, I do!).  And really, we were happy to do a return visit.  Sure, some people may not get why this is one of the most popular restaurants in Vancouver.  But we do.

The Good:
- Chicken wings!
- Relatively inexpensive considering everything
- Lots of choice

The Bad:
- Service is okay, but not stellar either
- Pick the favourites, other dishes are pretty average
- Super busy

Pho Extreme Xe Lua

*Restaurant is closed*

Not long ago, there was a 24-hour Pho joint named Kim Penh Xe Lua on Broadway at Cambie.  I had visited it on several occasions because nothing else was open. For me, I thought the food was acceptable but hardly memorable.  Hey, what can you expect at 2am in the morning???  While on one of our very early morning food adventures after Friday night hockey (should it be called Saturday morning hockey?) at Kim Penh Xe Lua, the owner stated they were moving across the street.  And so they did, into the location formerly occupied by an AYCE Japanese joint.  So on another Saturday morning hockey game (yah, that's what I'll call it from now on), we headed over to their new digs and apparently new name (Pho Extreme Xe Lua).

We started with the Spring Rolls which sported a rice paper wrapper.  The small rolls were dense and only slightly crunchy while exhibiting a mild flavour.  It was pretty average.  For myself, I went for a large Phnom Penh Dry Rice Noodle and it was not really all that large.  The one thing that really annoyed me with this dish was that all of the ingredients were stone cold.  The crab stick and fish balls were seemingly just removed from the refrigerator.  Very unappealing in texture and taste. I hate cold sticks and balls!  Er... The noodles were okay though, being slightly chewy, however, I found the sauce quite salty.  Yes, I see the irony with cold, salty sticks and balls...  In fact, the Pho that Milhouse and Sweet Tooth were munching on was equally salty and very sweet.  I'm thinking too much MSG here.  Despite that, the noodles were good and the meats were sliced thin and tender.  Milhouse went for the extra large size and it didn't seem like much more food than the large.

Lionel Hutz had the Beef Stew and it was yes, salty as well.  He did remark there were other distinguishing flavours including a hint of spice.  The beef shank was really fork tender and moist.  Gordo had the Curry Chicken which was very flavourful as well, yet lacking in curry flavour.  The chicken had been braised to the point it was falling off from the bone.  He really wanted more rice than they had provided though.  Seeing how my noodles were not very substantial, I had the Special Sub as well.  Although dense, the bread was sufficiently crusty.  However, I would've liked to see some butter mayo and pate as the whole thing was rather dry.  There was only a splash of Maggi sauce to go with the sliced ham and pickled daikon and carrot.  This was a pretty average banh mi that was missing critical elements.  As you can clearly see, the food is passable, but not much more than that.  However, as stated, what can one expect from a 24 hour joint.  We were just thankful to eat food that didn't come from Denny's or Knight & Day...

The Good:
- Open 24 hours
- Good selection of eats
- Passable

The Bad:
- Only passable
- Not sure about the large and extra-large, sure didn't seem like it