Secret Congee

It has been awhile since we've been out to Secret Congee located in the Ballard area of Seattle.  One look at the menu and you will immediately ascertain that this is no ordinary congee joint.  Rather, they take the traditional Chinese congee base and top it with mostly non-traditional components.  I've heard some criticisms that it isn't authentic, but c'mon, where does it state it is trying to be anyways?  Some of the best eats I've ever had was due to some place taking chances and doing things differently.  Besides, where do you think we got the Vietnamese cuisine we have now - fusion of French and Vietnamese cuisines...

Anyways, we headed out on a Saturday morning and yes, the place was hopping.  Congee is a great brunch item that is nourishing and comforting.  I personally like the congee base as it is velvety and mildly seasoned.  We skipped the chicken congee this time as we feel the meat is too dry.  So instead, we tried something quite different in the Mala Pork.  This featured a large serving of sliced pork shoulder that was dressed in a considerably spicy mala sauce that had numbing spice and lots of earthy elements.  Unlike the other bowls that included ginger and green onion, this one also had cilantro.

On the side, we needed to get the obligatory Yaoutiao or Fried Salty Doughnut.  This was pretty good being lightly crispy with a chewy interior.  It was nicely salted and could be eaten by itself, but c'mon, this was for dipping into the congee!  We liked how it wasn't overly greasy too.  Also, we had the side of Taro Chips.  Again, this was fine to eat as is, since they were crunchy and well-salted.  But, if you wanted a textural and aromatic component to your congee, you could crumble the chips and sprinkle it on top!

One of our favorites is the Shrimp Tom Yum and there was no doubt we would get it this time as well.  The fragrance of the tom yum was was full of lemongrass, tanginess, sharpness from the galangal and also the slightest bit of spice.  This really brought the mild congee base alive as every spoonful was now impactful and aromatic.  The large shrimp were meaty and had a sweet briny snap.

We had 2 versions of the Thai Meatball with one featuring the addition of century egg.  I've always loved this bowl of congee as the medium-sized meatballs provide plenty of body.  Other than the classic chicken (which we didn't order this time), this is the least expensive at $15.00.  Meaty with just enough fat, the meatballs were tender with a pleasant chew.  They were lightly seasoned and acted as a textural component rather than adding flavor.  With the supplement of century egg for $2.00, this provided the umaminess for the bowl of congee.  For the other bowl, we added a soft-boiled egg for also $2.00.

Heading to some more delicate creations, we had the Hokkaido Scallop.  Once again, this featured the same components as the other bowls of congee.  As expected, this was a subtle affair with the sweet scallops blending into the mild flavor of the congee.  This was more about texture as the buttery scallops still had the mantle, which added chewiness and even more scallop essence.  The same could be said about the the Barramundi Bass where the fish was delicate and slightly sweet.  We loved how they were able to keep the fish buttery soft while being cooked through.  For both of these, I added more white pepper for some kick.

Our last bowl of congee was also subtle in the Garlic Blue Crab.  Sure, it ain't cheap at $24.00, but looking at the picture, they did not skimp on the chunks of crab.  Furthermore, the crab was fluffy and fresh-tasting.  Plenty of sweetness to go with the brininess.  The addition of fried garlic provided aroma and texture to the congee.  So this was another delicious visit to Secret Congee.  I understand how some people would like this interpreation of congee.  However, modernizing it while keeping some traditional elements work for me.  I love their creative approach to their toppings and willingness to take a risk.  Yah, the prices are higher than typical Cantonese restaurants of this ilk, but they aren't serving up premium toppings either.

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

The Good:

- Velvety congee base

- Generous with the toppings

- Lots of choice

The Bad:

- Limited seating inside, and sitting outside is fine, if the weather cooperates

- Sure, it costs more (and it is valid for some people), but I personally think it is worth it

Mambo Café (Aberdeen Food Court)

Here is an oldie but goodie located at the food court in Aberdeen Centre.  Mambo Café has been one of the most popular stalls here offering classic Hong Kong-style eats for a reasonable price.  Despite drinks not being included with your meal anymore, it is still a good deal.  Up until lately, I hadn't been back in quite some time.  Not that I haven't visited the Aderdeen Food Court though.  It is just I've been going to the other stalls.  But this was about time I actually do a post on the place!

When judging a HK-style café , one must order the Baked Pork Rice.  That we did and it was a substantial portion for $15.00.  Sporting a well-prepared egg fried rice base, this was a great start.  The rice was chewy and nutty while being just dry enough.  On top, they didn't skimp on the tomato sauce.  Viscosity was spot on with proper thickness where it was almost creamy.  There was a background tanginess, yet the amount of sugar and butter levelled if off.  We found 2 fried pork chops hidden within and they were tender with slightly crispy breading.

Another HK-style café  classic is the Baked Spaghetti Bolognese.  Once again, they filled the aluminum container to the brim with noodles and sauce.  Although not al dente, the spaghetti was still somewhat firm and not mushy at all.  Just like the pork chop rice, they were generous with the meat sauce.  Sure, it wasn't a traditional bolognese, but it was a good HK-style café version of it.  The meat was tender while the sauce had a mild tang with some fall flavours.

Completing the trifecta of standard items found on a typical HK-style café  menu would be the Baked Seafood Rice.  Again, this featured an egg fried rice base (which is the right way to do this dish).  There was a plethora flour-thickened white sauce (most likely a combination of milk and evaporated milk) that was aromatic and balanced.  Lots of seafood as the picture suggests including crab stick, fish, prawns, bay scallops and squid.

On another visit, we delved into more stir-fried dishes.   In the end, we settled on a family-favourite in the Singapore Fried Noodles.  For those who aren't familiar, this featured rice vermicelli stir-fried with onions, peppers, sprouts, BBQ pork and shrimp with plenty of yellow curry powder.  This particular version was quite good being only a bit greasy with plenty of components and exhibiting caramelization from the wok hei.  But for some reason, this took considerably longer than our other dishes.

We had a fried rice as well in the XO Seafood Fried Rice.  Loved this dish as the wok hei was on display here with smokiness and caramelized flavours.  Spice level could've been higher as the dish ate rather mild.  But the brininess from the XO was definitely there.  As you can clearly see above, the amount of seafood was balanced for the amount of rice.  With little corn niblets strewn around, we also had bursts of sweetness with random bites.

A visit to an HK-style café  isn't complete without some meat combo on rice or spaghetti.  Hence, we had the Mixed Steaks on Rice with a black pepper sauce.  This featured a minute beef steak, pork chop and chicken steak (deboned leg).  As you can tell from the picture above, the steaks were large.  I found them tender and yes, the beef steak was tenderized, but hey that is par for the course when it comes to HK-style café fare.  Peppercorn sauce was flavourful and this was a massive portion for the price.  In fact, with the lousy economy that we live it at the moment, Mambo Cafe (and all of the other food stalls at Aberdeen) is a good way to get a delicious and filling meal for a reasonable price.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Large portions
- Delicious

The Bad:
- Waits can be quite long and for one of our visits, they forgot one of our dishes 

 

Hot Spot Buffet

As you already know by now, AYCE is a thing again.  In fact, they are coming up with different ways of doing things compared to the past.  Once upon a time, AYCE meant ordering off a checklist and waiting for staff to bring you the items or in most cases, the items did not arrive and/or you got the wrong items and also the incorrect amount.  Well, Hot Spot Buffet on Kingsway has solved that problem by offering most of the items available for Korean-style BBQ and hot pot as self-service (a la Bigway).  Hence, you can get exactly what you want and how much you want every time (keep in mind, if you waste food, it is $10.00 for every 100 grams).

So how much is this AYCE?  For the basic Korean BBQ, it is $24.99 for lunch & late night.  $35.99 for Korean BBQ and skewers for dinner and an extra $2.99 for hot pot.  We had both and it was a lot of food for 2 people.  Probably best to grab some friends and make it a group thing to try more items.  First and foremost, there is a Large Big Way-esque refrigerated display case with hot pot items on one side and BBQ items on the other.  Considering the reasonable pricing, the selection is quite good.

We got roughly everything in for our hot pots with Tender Beef, Basa, Chicken Thigh, Chicken Giblets, Cuttlefish, Beef Aorta, Crab Stick, Luncheon Meat, Quail's Egg and a variety of fish ball products.  As for non-meats, we had Tong Ho, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Wheat Gluten, Wood Ear, Corn, Konjac Noodle Bundles, Kelp, Wintermelon, Bean Curd Stick, Yam Noodles and Dried Instant Noodles.  There was more things available, but we didn't get them.  Nothing amiss with the items as things looked and ate fresh.  

On the bottom of the hot pot ingredients section, we found plates of meat including Lamb, Pork Shoulder, Pork Belly and Fatty Beef.  These cooked up quickly in our individual broths (Mala for me and Mushroom for Jackie).  I found my spicy broth to be mildly hot, but fairly flavourful.  The mushroom was better in our opinion since it was plenty mushroomy while well-seasoned so that it helped flavour the meats.

Onto the Korean BBQ portion of our meal, we got a selection from the display that included Thinly Sliced Beef (plain or marinated), Chicken Wings (different marinades), Chicken, Spicy Pork, Zucchini, Squash, Pork Shoulder (plain or marinated), Mushrooms, Marinated Shortribs and Shrimp.  The BBQ grill was relatively even and cooked things quickly on the high setting.  Need to pay attention as it could burn.  We thought the wings were great being well-marinated and juicy.  Shortribs were great too with a tender chew.  In fact, all the meats were quite good.

There was also a Self-Serve hot and cold food section near the front of the restaurant.  We helped ourselves to Shredded Potato Salad, Pork Ear & Cucumber, Edamame, Pickled Radish and Kimchi.  Across from it, we found some hot dishes in Fried Rice, Spicy Chicken, Sweet & Sour Pork and Shrimp & Fishballs.  Right next to that was a warming oven with Fried Glutinous Sesame Balls, Portuguese Tarts, Spring Rolls, Fried Chicken Skin and Chicken Wings.  Next to that, we had some Steamed Dumplings and Bao.  The food was okay but some of it was not hot enough, which diminished its appeal.  Wings were good though.  There was also some dessert and also a soda dispenser.  However, the diet cola ran out and was not refilled.

Of course there was a Sauce Bar with also some seasoning salts above.  Had all of the usual items to create your own custom dipping sauce for hot pot and Korean BBQ.  In addition to the pricing aforementioned pricing, there are also 2 more options including a Premium menu for $45.99 and a Tasting menu for $58.99.  As much as they add some really appealing items to each tier, the basic already includes so much.  I'd stick to that personally.  Overall, we felt the basic was a great value since it included essentially everything.  I do think that one should save their appetite for the hot pot and BBQ and skip the cooked food.  It was fine, but more of a filler than anything else.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Excellent value

- Meats and veggies were vibrant and fresh

- Lots of choice, even for basic

The Bad:

- Cooked food and sides were only okay and the hot food wasn't hot enough

- Soda machine needed attention

Sun Sui Wah (Main Street)

Boy, here is a Cantonese classic - Sun Sui Wah on Main Street.  It first opened on Main Street in 1988 where Haiyi Seafood Restaurant operates currently.  However, due to their popularity, they moved into a larger location at 3888 Main Street in late 1995, where they still stand today.  They were known for their Squab and excellent Cantonese dishes.  Over time, there has been an increasing amount of capable competitors where some have definitely passed them by.  With that being said, I've had many great meals here and for the first time in years, we decided to pay them a visit, taking my father-in-law out for Father's Day.

As much as the set menus looked great, we didn't have enough people to go for a 10-course meal.  So we ended up doing a la carte.  On that note, they supplied us with menus that we couldn't order from.  Their reasoning?  It was for "advertising purposes".  Honestly, that was pretty weak.  Anyways, we went about getting an eclectic selection of dishes because my FIL can't exactly chew very well.  Hence, we ending up getting a 3lb Dungeness Crab in cream sauce with a yee mein base.  Normally here, we would go for wonton noodles since they hold up to the sauce better, but again, he can't chew it.  No matter, as the noodles weren't too soft and the crab was supremely fresh and meaty.   The meat was bouncy and sweet with classic crab brininess.  Cream sauce was flavourful and buttery.

I was betting that the beef would be marinated enough to be buttery soft in the Satay Beef Vermicelli Hot Pot.  After a few bites, it was indeed tenderized to the point where it was a bit spongy and ultimately tender.  At the same time, there was enough natural meat texture left so it wasn't too artificial.  There was a nice ratio of meat to vermicelli, so it was a fulfilling dish.  The vermicelli was still al dente, but not clumpy.  In terms of taste, the dish was well-seasoned.  Plenty of savouriness with a touch of spice and brininess.  I liked how the hot pot wasn't overly greasy too.

The very softest dish we ordered was the Salted Fish & Chicken with Soft Tofu Hot Pot.  Another solid offering where the saltiness from the fish (and the seasoning) was impactful bordering on salty without going over.  This definitely needed rice as a counterbalance.  We found the tofu super silky, but they were able to keep it from disintegrating during the cooking process.  Bits of chicken were tender and buttery while the amount of salted fish was generous.  Little hits of ginger helped keep things from being too heavy.

One dish that wasn't as soft was the Sweet & Sour Pork.  This was a pretty even mix of meat and pineapple, onions and peppers.  There was just enough sauce to coat each piece of pork, which helped keep things a bit crispy.  The meat itself was only a little fatty, yet still tender and bouncy.  Tangy and sweet, the sauce was quite good, but possibly it could've had just a bit more sourness. 

We ordered one vegetarian dish in the Braised Fried Tofu, Broccoli, Mushrooms and Morels.  This featured soft and almost fall-apart tofu that was was coated in a silky starch-thickened sauce that was just salty enough.  Despite using dried morels, it was still nice to have the earthiness and unique texture of the mushrooms.

We ended up getting the 2 courses of Ling Cod with the first dish being the Stir-Fried Yau Choy with Ling Cod Filets. We asked the vegetable to be cooked a bit longer so that my FIL could eat it.  So I can't really comment on the texture as a result.  However, it was well-seasoned and not overly greasy.  The fish itself a bit crumbly, but tender and fresh.

The second course was the Ling Cod & Tofu Hot Pot.  This was a large portion of the fish bones, belly, tail and fins that were coated in starch and deep fried.  Along with the deep fried tofu, it was finished off with a toss in starch-thickened sauce, onions, ginger and shredded pork.  Once again, the tofu was tender while the fish was buttery and flaky.  Sauce was a bit salty, but wasn't longing for flavour.  

Last item was the Yeung Chow Fried Rice consisting of egg fried rice, BBQ pork, shrimp and gai lang stems.  Nutty and dry, this rice was textbook execution where it was nicely salty and not greasy with discernible grains of chewy rice.  Overall, the meal at Sun Sui Wah was above average and we were satisfied.  Too bad we didn't get to try some of their signature items due to being selective with our dishes.   Prices have definitely gone up in the last 10 years, but that is true across the board.  With that being said, there are other places that I can get roughly the same quality for less money.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Large portion size

- Despite being busy, the service was quite good

The Bad:

- Prices are on the higher side

- Not sure why we got menus that we couldn't order from

Lee Garden (Dim Sum)

I haven't been back to the Kingsway location of Lee Garden for quite some time.  We've hit up the Coquitlam spot but once again, the Kingsway location was out-of-sight and out-of-mind.  Finally, we decided to meet up with some friends for Dim Sum.  As usual, their parking lot got pretty packed, so we ended up parking on the street.  If you really want a parking spot, better make a reservation right when it opens at 9:00am.  On that note, reservations will not get you in right away when it gets busy at around 11:30am.   Best to go early or later.

We began with the BBQ Pork Pastries served as a trio.  These were a bit pastry heavy with only a modest amount of BBQ pork.  Pork was lean though and the sauce was pretty balanced between sweet and savoury.  Flaky, but slightly doughy, the pastry had an on point exterior, but got progressively denser inside.  I would say this was an average version of the dish.

I thought the Siu Mai was a bit hit and miss.  I thought these were medium-sized compared to many other places.  The pork itself was chewy and didn't have the rebound texture I was looking for.   Hence they ate a bit dense. There was plenty of shrimp which had a sweet snap though and the seasoning was just right.   I liked how they put the tobiko on after they had finished cooking.

On the other hand, the Ha Gau were textbook.  Translucent, fairly thin and having appealing elasticity, the dumpling skin was great.  It also helped that these were streamed just enough so that everything was cooked, but not overdone with excess moisture.  Hence, the wrapper did not tear.  Inside, the shrimp filling had a buttery snap and tasted great with sweetness.

Loaded with cilantro, the Beef Meatballs had the desired texture.  They were bouncy and airy with mild seasoning.  That didn't really matter as the dominant flavour was cilantro.  I would say that a bit less would have balanced things out.  Small detail, but I loved the bean curd skin at the bottom of the plate.  It helped keep the meatballs from sticking, but I also enjoyed the texture.

Here we are with the Steamed Honeycomb Tripe & Tendon, one of my most favourite dishes not only for Dim Sum, but of all time.  Yah really, I love the texture when the dish is done right.  The one here was absolutely prepared properly.  Each strip of tripe was a of a good size and had that desired tender texture with just a bit of chew.  It had been stewed enough prior to the steaming and it took on all of the good sweet, savoury and garlicky elements.  Tendons were equally tender, but still had texture, rather than melting away.

Another favourite of mine is the Steamed Chicken Feet.  These are deep-fried, then braised and finally steamed.  Once again, another solid dish as the texture was on point.  The skin, fat and cartilage were buttery and soft while not being mushy.  All of the chicken feet were intact and everything came off the bone easily.  Flavours were similar to the tripe except with a bit more saltiness.

Okay, usually I break one of the BBQ Pork Buns apart so we can see the filling in the picture.  I didn't do so here, so you'll just have to trust me that the filling was sufficient and full of the same BBQ pork as found in the pastries.  The bun portion was a little more dense than some of the other versions I've had lately.  However, at the same time, it was still fluffy and soft.

Another favourite dish of mine is the XO Daikon Radish Cake.  For this one here, I thought they did a good job.  Although not fried enough to create a uniformly crispy exterior, there was still browning where the aromatics were great.  There was a bit of crispiness giving way to a soft pillowy interior.  I thought that the briny spice of the XO sauce was a little light and this definitely could've used more of it.

Normally, you'd find me ordering some pea shoots or gai lan, but since they were featuring Water Spinach stir-fried with fermented tofu, I was changing it up!  The wok-fry on the water spinach was good as it was cooked enough, but still remained crunchy.  I would've liked a bit more fermented tofu, but it was still sufficient to provide a funky saltiness to the dish.  On that note, more garlic would've been nice too.

I don't often order the Deep-Fried Chicken Knees, partly because it isn't offered on all Dim Sum menus.  They had it here and I was pretty glad I ordered it.  As you can see from the picture above, those pieces were large and meaty.  Hence, we weren't only eating cartilage, there was juicy meat all around.  They were lightly crispy with an impactful salty peppery seasoning.

For our Rice Noodle Roll, we opted for the beef.  As you can see in the picture, the rice noodle was a little on the stiffer side, however, it was quite thin.  Hence, it was soft enough that it was pliable.  It ate better than it looked.  Inside, the beef filling was tender and airy much like the beef meatballs.  Also like the beef meatballs, there was a good amount of cilantro, which was the dominant flavour. 

We went for three desserts this time around including the classic Baked Egg & Milk Tarts.  Served in a set of three, these were uniformly almost exact in their appearance.  We found the pastry to be flaky and buttery with no undercooked portions.  The egg yolk custard was silky and light while being only moderately sweet.  Overall a very good egg tart!

A surprisingly excellent dessert was the Deep Fried Crispy Coconut Milk Roll.  Sure, these were a touch greasy, but it didn't take away from the eating enjoyment we had.  Super light and crispy, the deep fried shells were aromatic and sweet.  Inside, we found thickened milk that was also aromatic and sweet.  It helped provide some moisture to balance out the crispy shells.  Super tasty, would order again!

Finally, we had another classic in the Steamed Sponge Cake.  Loved the use of brown sugar which made the smell and taste deeply rich and almost toffee-like.  The cake itself was airy and soft which made things very easy to eat.  Really nice end to a generally solid Dim Sum meal.  Sure, some things could've been better, but with all things considered, we had no complaints about the food or service.  I can see why the place remains popular and hence, extremely busy.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- We had friendly service
- Even though it is busy, seating isn't overly cramped

The Bad:
- Some dishes could've used a few tweaks
- When you want to dine here after 11:30am, a reservation might not even help you