Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle

I'm sure many of you have heard about the recent closure of Chef Hung's Richmond location after 17 years in business at Aberdeen Centre.  That means there are only two locations left at SFU and UBC.  If you've ever read any reviews about the UBC store, there are some real concerns about serious mismanagement.  I haven't been to this location for quite some time, so it was a bit surprising to see the place go downhill since my last visit.  Mercifully, they are now under new management that is committed to sharpening up their operations.  Jackie and dropped by to see for ourselves.

On the surface, things were operating as usual and there was a decent amount of business considering we were there at 3:00pm on a weekend.  Before we got to the noodles, we had some smaller items in the Braised Pork Hock, Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets and Marinated Egg.  Served in large pieces, the pork hock was the ideal texture.  The gelatinized skin as tender and underneath, the fat and tendon were buttery and soft.  Seasoning was mild, yet effective where the pork flavour wasn't too strong.  Rather, we had a good balance of salty and sweet.  Chicken Nuggets were also large while lightly coated.  They were crispy and well-seasoned with the classic salty-peppery vibes (and a touch of five-spice).  Inside, the dark meat was juicy.  As for the eggs, they were flavourful, but since they were fully done (typical for this type of egg), it was rubbery and had that grey ring.  Still good though!

Another trio of side dishes consisted of Boiled Broccoli, Cold Mixed Baby Cucumbers and Marinated Pig's Ear.  Even though we had broccoli in some of the dishes already, we felt more veggies wouldn't hurt.  They were cooked just right being still a bit crunchy.  Also crunchy, the cucumbers were refreshing and nicely marinated.  Really enjoyed the stacked, then sliced pig's ear as they were gelantious and had a light crunch from the cartilage.  Once again, the braising liquid added umaminess to the pig's ear and of course some sweetened soy vibes.

As you can see in the picture above, the Marinated Beef Roll was fairly large and completely stuffed.  The pancake itself was slightly crispy on its surfaces while the pastry had a bite.  It could've been a bit more flaky though. Inside, the ample sliced beef shank was a bit thick, yet still plenty tender.   I wished there was more hoisin though (but you can ask for more).  The matchstick cucumbers were fresh and added a bright crunch.

We got 2 of their Deep Fried Ginger Chicken Wings and they were the whole wing including the dummette and tip.  They were uniformly golden brown which also meant the skin was fairly crispy.  It was also rendered well, so there wasn't any flabby parts.  Loved the marinated meat as it was juicy, tender and slightly gelatinous.  As promised, there was a nice gingery hit as well.

Onto the dishes we were really here for - The Taiwanese Beef Noodles!  We had one each of the Award-Winning Beef Shank, Tendon & Tripe with Noodle in Soup and Champion Beef Shank with Noodle in Soup and .  These 2 bowls were very similar except for the former having thick noodles and the latter having thin noodles.  Naturally, the former had 2 extra items.  The soup itself was quite good with a solid beef presence.  It had depth-of-flavour and sweetness with just a subtle hint of spice.  Noodles were al dente with the thick noodles being extra chewy (in a good way).  I think the thin noodles picked up more of the soup flavour though.  Meats were tender with the tendon being soft and gelatinous.  Tripe was soft while retaining a mild chewiness.   I thought the beef shank was more tender than the brisket, but that was because of the braised connective tendons.

Moving onto 2 different types of beef noodle, we had the Champion Beef Brisket with Noodle in Clear Soup as well as the Champion Braised Beef with Noodle in Tomato Soup.  With the clear soup, it was certainly clean-tasting and naturally mild with some sweetness.  The brisket was a bit drier here, yet not too chewy.  We also found a few slices of tender beef that were quite delicious.  I have to say that the tomato soup was not as strong as I would've liked.  It definitely had the essence of tomato and we also found some fresh grape tomatoes too, but I wanted more tang.  The braised beef was fall-apart tender and had a rich braised flavour.

We had one more noodle that was similar to the first 2 but also somewhat different as well.  This was the Braised Beef Tendon & Shank with Noodle in Green Pepper Soup.  Despite not appearing to be any different, the soup was distinct.  There was definitely more spiciness (but not too strong) as well as a background numbing.  It was slightly tangy and a bit green tasting (despite the soup looking brown)

In addition to their large selection of beef noodles, they have rice bowls as well.  We ended up trying the Taiwanese-Style Deep Fried Chicken Cutlet and also the Deep Fried Pork Chop.  As you can see, both were similar except that the pork chop had some braised pork underneath.  This meant the rice was saucier and more robust from the rich meat flavours.  Both had a crispy coating and the typical Taiwanese seasoning of salt, white pepper and five spice.  Meats were juicy and tender, especially the thick dark meat chicken.  Overall, the food at Chef Hung was what I expected.  It was solid and considering the cost of food these days, reasonably-priced.  I like that they are trying to improve the service and overall experience because that was an issue with this location.

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

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Reasonable pricing

- Portions were fair too

The Bad:

- Decor is a bit worn

- Smaller location with limited seating

Din Tai Fung

So Vancouver finally gets their own Din Tai Fung...  Why is this so special?  Well, it all started with an oil shop in Taiwan that then transitioned into a small restaurant that had some really great Xiao Long Bao.  It became a bigger restaurant (that still stands today) and expanded globally.  Located right next to the Camana Hotel on Alberni, Din Tai Fung seems ready to take on the tourist crowd and also locals (who will brave Downtown traffic and find the few precious and expensive parking spots).  There is underground parking available as well.  We waited until the initial crowds had dissipated to check it out.

We've been to Din Tai Fung many times in the past, so we have a baseline for what to expect.  To start, we had the Cucumber Salad as well as the Seaweed & Bean Curd Salad.  Both were pretty small in size, but delicious.  Exhibiting a fresh crunch, the baby cucumbers were perfectly salted and accented by both sesame oil and chili oil.  As for the seaweed & bean curd salad, it was also well-seasoned with mild spice and a good balance between savoury and sweet.  Nice textures here.

We got one order each of their famous Kurobuta Pork XLBs and the Crab & Kurobuta Pork XLBs.  Both featured the classic thin dumpling skin with exactly 18 pleats.  This optimal method keeps all the soup inside while looking aesthetically-pleasing.  I am happy to report these were just as good as I remembered.  The skin was delicate with some elasticity.  The pork filling was moist and tender with a considerable amount of sweet and savoury soup that was not greasy.  Personally, I enjoyed the regular pork XLBs more than the crab.  It was just a bit too briny for my liking.

For our one veggie dish, we selected the stir-fried Spinach with Garlic.  Presented in the shape of the wok ladle, there was actually quite a bit of wilted spinach on the plate.  It was definitely soft, but not mushy.  Plenty of seasoning meant it tasted great.  Featuring the same spinach, the Stir Fried Rice Cakes with Chicken was also well-executed.  Possibly there could've been more searing on the rice cakes, but the dish did have wok hei.  It was nicely seasoned where it was a bit salty with some sweet elements.  The rice cakes were chewy, but not hard and the chicken was tender.

We moved onto a pair of noodle dishes next with the Braised Beef Noodle Soup and the Noodles with Minced Kurobuta Pork.  The beef noodle soup was legit with a meaty broth that had depth and was well-seasoned.  The large pieces of beef were almost melt-in-my-mouth tender with some tendon within.  It was also flavourful from the braise.  Noodles were al dente with a nice rebound.  As for the mixed noodles, the mince pork "sauce" was lacking moisture to combine with the chewy noodles.  With that being said, the pork itself was not dry and was full-flavoured being on the saltier side.

We went back to the dumpling well with the Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Shao Mai and the Sticky Rice with Pork & Mushroom Shao Mai.  Yes, they looked like sea anemones and unlike the XLBs, the dumpling skin was much thicker and chewier.  With the same pork filling, the first shao mai had elements of the XLBs.  With carbs on carbs, the second shao mai was rather doughy and not really something I'd order again.  They did taste good though with some umaminess and mild saltiness.  I've had these before, but somehow I forgot I didn't like them! 

To get our fill of dumplings, we also got the Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Potstickers as well as the Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Spicy Wontons.  We really enjoyed both of these with the potstickers having a crispy skirt.  Subsequently, the bottom was crispy as well and the rest of the dumpling skin was medium thick and appealingly chewy.  Filling was juicy and tender.  As for the wontons, it had the same filling, so that was a good start.  They were quite large in size and held onto the chili oil sauce well.  It didn't eat as spicy as it looked, rather taking on some sweetness and smokiness.

We got our dumpling fix but couldn't resist and had the Chocolate & Mochi XLBs with a side of Sea Salt Cream.  Oh these were fantastic with a rich and sweet velvety chocolate centre.  The sea salt cream was the key to this as it added a balancing saltiness.  I would have these again in this combination.  Overall, the meal at Din Tai Fung was as expected.  It was satisfying and the XLBs were on point.  Service was fantastic being attentive and personable.  Prices are of course on the higher side and portions size are not very big.  Good for a visit once in awhile or to bring your out-of-town guests who don't have a Din Tai Fung.

The Good:
- Excellent XLBs as usual
- Other dishes are above average
- Service is fantastic

The Bad:
- Pricey for the portion size
- Parking in the area is expensive

Pearl House

I remember a long time ago (2013 in fact), I had visited Pearl House out on Sperling at Kingsway in Burnaby.  It was solid Taiwanese fare that was reasonably-priced.  Well, that location has closed permanently and now houses Singapore Hawker.  Now we find that Peal House has reopened on the West side of Vancouver where the Meet Up used to be located.  Jackie and I paid a visit to this new location and upon entry, it was pretty much the same setup as before (when it was Meet Up).  So it was fairly spacious and inviting.

Of course, the space is one thing, but the food needs to be good too right?  We began with a Taiwanese classic in the Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets.  These were pretty big pieces of thigh meat, which helped them keep juicy and tender.  They were also nice marinated so that the meat had a mild saltiness to it.  As for the batter, it was not too thick while being crunchy and not overly greasy.  There was also the usual slight pepperiness and fried basil to compliment.

Continuing on with the appetizers, we had the 3-item Marinated Combo with sliced pig ear, beef shank and eggs. I thought the items here were prepared quite well.  I was actually quite impressed with the marinated eggs as the egg yolk wasn't completely obliterated.  Notice that there was no ugly green ring around it.  The pig's ear was sliced thin and had plenty of flavour including a background hint of star anise.  Same with the beef shank, as it was also tender and moist.

Naturally, at any Taiwanese restaurant, one must order the beef noodle right?  We did that but opted for the Beef Shank & Noodle Soup.  I found the broth for this bowl to be a bit mild, yet not flavourless.  I could taste the meatiness, but at the same time, it was not as rich as the one found at Myst.  The noodles were plentiful and perfectly al dente.  The beef was fall apart tender and flavourful while the tendon were in large gelantinous tender pieces.

We went a bit off the board with our next dish with the Deep Fried Unagi Bento.  This was literally 2 fillets of eel that were breaded and deep-fried.  Honestly, I didn't enjoy this bowl as the best things about eel (being buttery and soft) was absent after the breading and deep-frying.  Furthermore, it really didn't go with the rice that well as it was dry without any sauce.  Hence, we just ate the eel.  This also came with some veggies and 2 slices of Taiwanese sausage.

Our last savoury item was the Deep Fried Chicken Thigh Curry featuring a large chicken thigh.  I'm sure they added the green onion for colour but that was far too much of it.  The pure taste of the curry was partially obscured by the green onion.  Too bad because the curry itself was excellent having a sweet earthiness where the viscosity was just right.  The rice was firm enough to receive the curry while the chicken was juicy and tender with only a thin layer of fried coating.

For dessert, we had the Snowy Mango Pomelo with a cheese mousse on top.  This was refreshing and fruity as expected.  I found the shaved ice to be nicely texture without big chunks.  It was completely flavoured with the mango syrup.  For our drinks, we selected the Roasted Oolong Milk Tea as well as the Passionfruit Slush.  I thought these were solid and not merely an afterthought.  The tea had a noticeable roasted nutty flavour while the slush was fruity and completely blended.  Overall, Pearl House is a solid place for Taiwanese eats, desserts and drinks.  Portions are generous while the pricing is reasonable (given how expensive things can be in this area).

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

The Good:
- Generous portions
- Solid eats
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Some dishes could be tweaked

Maji Restaurant (Ocean-Wise Event)

*Restaurant is closed*

For those unfamiliar with Ocean Wise, it is a program developed here in BC that promotes the use of sustainable seafood in restaurants.  It has been nice to see many of the best establishments in town get on board.  However and not surprisingly, Asian restaurants have been slow to adopt it and in fact, only one exists (which is Floata).  However, Maji Restaurant in Richmond has recently signed on, hopefully triggering a trend for Chinese restaurants.  To celebrate this, they hosted a dinner along with the Chinese Restaurant Awards featuring Ocean-Wise ingredients.

This was an ambitious menu which featured 16 plates of food starting off with the Chinese Yam & Chicken Soup.  It was sweet and lightly peppery (white pepper) with a silkiness from the gelatin.  I enjoyed that there didn't seem to be a significant amount of seasoning involved so we got the natural chicken flavour and sweetness.  Even the pieces of chicken meat were super tender and completely edible.  The whole Grilled Scallops with garlic butter was a real treat as it was both a texturally and taste-pleasing dish.  First of all, the scallops were soft and had a sweet rebound texture.  Second, the garlic buttery was aromatic and complimented the lightly briny and sweet scallops.

Onto the neatly-plated Five Flavour Mussel Salad, we found large Kiwi mussels served cold.  This was key as these type of mussels can become rubbery if cooked too long.  These were still fairly moist with a appealing chewiness.  There was a good mix of spicy, gingery, sweet and salty notes that didn't prevent the natural brininess of the mussel.  Continuing with shellfish, we has the Deep-Fried Oysters.  This was one of my favourite items as the firmly crunchy batter had an aromaticness from the 5-spice, salt and pepper.  As for the oyster itself, it was tender and sweet with a natural brininess.  On the side was a salty and sweet chili sauce.

I'm normally not a fan of Grilled Mackerel, so I'm not the best judge of the dish.  I can say that the fish was beautifully prepared though.  It featured blistered skin that was aromatic and the grilling helped activate the fish oils.  There was the requisite robust fishiness that is associated with mackerel, but with a squeeze of the lemon wedge, it really helped balance the flavours.  Somehow, the Pan-Fried Salmon seemed a bit too plain for my tastes.  It was missing vital seasoning that would've brought the dish alive.  Rather, it pretty much tasted like salmon without anything on it.  Furthermore, I thought it was cooked too long where it was no longer buttery.

On the other hand, the Grilled Salmon with House Special Sweet Sauce was appreciably better in terms of execution and overall impact.  First of all, the salmon itself was cooked just enough where it was flaky and moist.  Second, the caramelized flavours helped bring out the natural sweetness of the salmon as well as completely seasoning the fish.  Back to the molluscs, we were served the Basil Clams.  This was money as the clams were buttery and plump.  They were cooked just enough and the natural flavours really came through.  However, there was plenty of seasoning including the aromatic basil to help put the dish over the top.

Talking about over-the-top, we were presented with the Dongpo Pork next.  It featured the classic braised pork belly dressed in a rich sauce.  Of note, the Taiwanese version is generally not as fatty and soft as the Shanghainese dish.  That was evident here where the meat was on the leaner side while the fat was still buttery and sinful.  The sauce was not too salty where it didn't masked the natural pork flavour.  Another robust and flavourful dish was the Pan-Fried Black Pepper Beef.  By the name alone, it was assumed that we would be experiencing pepper rich flavours and this dish delivered.  As for the beef, it was in large pieces and completely tender.

As for our carbs, we had a dish that I've personally tried 3 times already being the Taiwanese-Style Stir Fried Noodles.  Consistency-wise, I have to say that they were more or less the same as before.  It was a large portion of moist, yet chewy noodles with mild seasoning.  Lots of ingredients including still vibrant veggies.  Aromatic and exhibiting proper wok heat, the Sesame Oil Pork Fried Rice was quite good.  It was too bad that we were so full already because I could've had a few bowls.  The rice was chewy and nutty while still moist and they didn't overdo it with the seasoning allowing the sesame oil to come through.

As if this wasn't enough to eat already, we were presented with 2 tofu dishes.  The first was Pan-Fried Tofu with onions and carrots served in an iron skillet.  This was a straight-forward dish with deep-fried silky tofu that remained intact despite its soft texture.  Flavours were balanced between sweet and salty where the starch-thickened sauce was not excessive.  Next was the Seafood Tofu Hot Pot sporting shrimp, fish and clams seasoned with basil, soy and chili peppers.  Similar to the last dish, there was just enough sauce that clung onto each piece of on point seafood.  Another straight-forward dish that was well-executed.

Our actual final dish was the Spicy Deep-Fried Chicken which was more sweet than spicy (although it did have a mild kick).  The skin was fairly rendered and crisp while the boneless leg was tender and juicy.  This went well with the fried rice as it was rather flavourful.  So there you go, another tasty meal at Maji, this time featuring many of their Ocean-Wise dishes.  I personally love their regular menu, so a combination of any of the new dishes with old items will yield a great meal.

*All food was complimentary*

The Good:
- Getting on board with the Ocean Wise program
- Solid eats
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- That parking lot...
- Pan-Fried Salmon needed a bit more salt