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 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

Ngon Cafe Burnaby

For since I can remember, I've loved snacking on Banh Mi or having a few of them for a meal.  They were really cheap back-in-the-day, but like everything else, they have gone up in price.  Let's be honest about it, they were probably underpriced at one point, so the prices now are more in line with what they should be worth.  I really am enjoying some of more progressive spots that have the classic sandwiches as well as some reimagined ones.  One of these places I checked out recently is Ngon Cafe in Burnaby.  Their menu is pretty simple with a selection of Banh Mi, coffees and now noodle bowls (in lieu of their salad rolls).

So the thing to get here is their #1 or Ngon Special.  This fully loaded sub consists of siu mai (aka pork meatball), braised pork, fried egg and pate.  If you can imagine, this is packed with umaminess and various meat flavours.  The tender meatball is sweet with onion vibes while the braised pork adds body and rich stewed essences.  Of course the pate gives plenty of punch with mild gaminess due to the fat content.  They also add a fried egg to it so you have even more protein in the way of fluffiness.  

The next best thing to get in my opinion is the Meat Lovers (as if the Ngon Special is not a form of that already!).  This features all the goodness of a Banh Mi Dac Biet (or cold cut) including more interesting components such as banana leaf pork, ham, pork belly, beef ham, jambon and pate.  This is seriously a loaded sandwich as every bite is a mouthful of meat.  The great thing about those meats is that they all have their distinct flavour.  Hence it is a real party of sweet and savoury as well as aromatics.

One of the more surprising sandwiches on the menu is the BBQ Pork.  Sure, that does not sound very interesting and in fact, it maybe is one of the more basic options.  However, this was one is a solid option for those who didn't want the aforementioned sandwiches.  This features tender and slightly fatty pork that is juicy and well-seasoned.  The sweetness helps balance out the savouriness.  As for the bread itself, it is light, crunchy and airy.

One of the most neutral options is the Lemongrass Chicken banh mi.  What I mean is that chicken is easy to eat and probably fits most diets excluding vegetarians.  With that in mind, the chicken is the least meaty of the available non-vegetarian options.  It is moist and has plenty of flavour while it goes well with the other ingredients such as the pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber and cilantro.  As I said, a good neutral choice.

On the other hand, the Grilled Beef is the opposite of the chicken as it is denser, more meaty and richer in taste.  I find the beef sufficiently tender, yet due to its leanness, the texture is a touch dry.  It is slightly peppery and plenty beefy.  The rest of the ingredients are needed to keep things from being too heavy.  Thankfully, the bread, as mentioned, is light and airy.  So it keeps the balance within the sandwich. 

Lastly, they have a selection of Vietnamese coffee, in particular, cold drinks.  In the picture, we see the Salted Cream Coffee and the Coco Coffee.  I'm not usually a coffee drinker, but these are aromatic with balance from the coconut cream.  A real treat in itself apart from the delicious banh mi.  Overall, the stuff at Ngon Cafe is carefully made with great ingredients.  Their take on the meatball sandwich (#1 Ngon Special) is my choice here.

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

The Good:

- Quality ingredients

- Lots of filling

- Bread is airy and crunchy

The Bad:

- This particular location doesn't have much seating, mainly take out

 

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

Beechwood Cafe

For all the times we have visited the City of Angels, we have never hiked up to the Hollywood sign.  I guess it just might be that we were always there during Summer and it would be uncomfortably hot to do so.  This time around, Viv and I were here not in the midst of July or August. The weather was just right.  We were able to snag a parking spot near the starting point of the hike and did the leisurely stroll up the mountain.  Very strange that part of it is someone's driveway...  After that, we were pretty hungry and did the touristy thing and stopped by Beechwood Cafe (apparently many people do this...).

After a 30-minute wait, we were seated and got started with the Housemade Spicy Buffalo Wings.  These didn't look it but they were actually pretty hot.  I personally love spicy food so this didn't make want to order milk, but it definitely had impact and left my lips tingling.  I found the batter to be pretty crispy (even with all the sauce) and the skin was fairly rendered.  As for the meat, it was moist and juicy.  I really liked these and should've gotten more in a different flavor!

We ended up sharing a few dishes including the Backyard BBQ Pizza with grilled chicken breast, cilantro, red onions, jalapenos, cheese blend, marinara and housemade BBQ sauce.  The crust was pretty thin and uniformly crispy.  Interestingly, this pizza featured both tomato sauce and BBQ sauce.  I actually liked that as it broke up the sweetness and added another layer of flavor.  The pieces of chicken were fairly tender while the onions provide sharpness and the cilantro did its herbaceous thing.

For myself, I took the advice of our server and ordered the Kimchi Chicken Burger.  I thought the addition of housemade kimchi was the key to this.  It was crunchy and had a fermented spice to it. Unlike other Korean-style chicken burgers out there, this wasn't drenched in gochujang.  Instead, there was only a modest amount of sauce.  Therefore, the chicken was still crispy and also plenty juicy.  Those fries on the side were pretty awesome, hot and crunchy.

From their breakfast menu and also acting like our dessert, we had the Classic French Toast with strawberries, fresh cream and maple syrup.  This was really good where the bread completely soaked so it was a bit eggy and almost custardy.  The outside was nutty from the pan-sear.  Overall, our meal at Beechwood Cafe was pleasant with some real highlights.  No wonder it is so busy and not only because of tourists.  Food is good and done right while the portions are generous.

The Good:
- Diverse and large menu
- Food prepared properly
- Service was great

The Bad:
- Super busy, prepare to wait
- Cramped seating arrangements

 

Rens Club Cafe

From the outside, Rens Club Cafe does not really give any hints to what cuisine lies within.  I mean it is a bit difficult with the existing facade that originally belonged to La Villetta many years ago.  Then the restaurant became Eat for Good where minimal renovations were made.  Upon entering Rens, the real change starts to appear with a brightened interior with plenty of natural light.  New tables and chairs adorn the dining room as well as a coffee robot at the centre of it all.  We still didn't get a sense of what they served until we took a look at the menu.  Oh, they are a Thai restaurant!

Well, then let's start with the Bangkok Street Platter with pork spring roll, deep fried tofu, chicken satay and papaya salad.  I thought the spring roll was quite good with a crispy exterior and a not-overly-dense pork filling with wood ear, onions and carrots.  I particularly liked how they were not greasy.  The fried tofu was pretty typical, but I ended up dipping that in sweet & sour tamarind sauce which made things come alive with lots of impact.  Tender and well-marinated, the satay ate particularly well with the thick and aromatic peanut sauce.  Interestingly, I couldn't stop eating the fried taro sticks.  So crispy!

We ended up trying 2 soups including the Tom Yum and Tom Kha.  These were fairly large portions meant for sharing.  I found the Tom Yum to be decent with a good amount of aromatics, tanginess and the unmistakable taste of lemongrass and galangal.  I thought the spice level was pretty mild while the amount of palm sugar quite high.  As for the Tom Kha, it was also aromatic, but with coconut milk being prominent, it was certainly creamier and more mild.  Once again, it was on the sweeter side.

Of course we were going to get the Pad Thai (default Thai dish right?) and it was pretty decent.  The noodles were al dente and not clumpy, but then again, it was probably due to the greasiness too.  The tamarind sauce was more sweet than tangy but it still was fine.  I would've liked to see a bit more sour and even more spiciness too as the flavour was quite one note.  However, the caramelization was present, so the smoky sweetness was definitely there.  Also present was the egg, bean sprouts, chives fried tofu and peanuts.  Would've liked to see some pickled turnip though.

Next, we tried the Beef Yellow Curry with potato, carrot and onion.  I thought by appearances alone, this looked quite appealing.  It was indeed not bad where there was plenty of beef that was tender and exhibiting natural texture.  The veggies were cooked through, but were still vibrant and had a firm texture.  The curry itself was a bit too sweet in my opinion.  Maybe reduce the amount of palm sugar and increase the spice level and the curry would be on point in my opinion.

Next, we had the Chicken Red Curry that was the sweetest dish we had so far in the meal.  In addition to the palm sugar, the sweetness of the grapes, lychees and pineapple made this taste more like a dessert than a curry.  Possibly, if there was more spice to the dish, it could've balanced off all of the sweet components.  However, it would be best that they didn't add the fruit and stuck to the peppers, tomato and basil.  Chicken was tender though.

To complete the trifecta of curries, we had the Tiger Prawn Green Curry with eggplant, peppers and Thai Basil.  I thought this was the best curry of the bunch where the prawns were perfectly cooked with a sweet snap.  Eggplant was excellent too where the Thai eggplant was especially appealing in texture.  The curry itself was sweet like the others, but a little less so.  I got the creaminess from the coconut milk, but would've liked more fermented shrimp flavour.

One of the better items we had was the Khao Soi Gai.  Although once again sweet, I found the creaminess of the curry broth to be fragrant and aromatic.  I would've liked to see more of the crispy noodles as there was just not enough of it.  The egg noodles were prepared properly being al dente, but a touch clumpy. The chicken was tender and fell-off-the-bone.  There was enough pickled mustard greens to break up the heaviness of the coconut curry broth.

We ended off with 2 desserts to share including the Housemade Coconut Ice Cream and the Mango Sticky Rice. A little melty and not particularly smooth, the coconut ice cream was actually decent.  Flavour was good and just sweet enough. Definitely homemade as there was no stabilizers used. As for the sticky rice, it was also good being soft and chewy while lightly sweet and coconutty.  Not sure about the jelly flowers.  Weird texture. Overall, the food at Ren's is a bit confusing.  Nowhere in the name or the restaurant screams Thai food.  Furthermore, they have to ease up on the palm sugar.  With that being said, the food here is better than the nearby H&P Noodle House, but not as authentic as Chad Thai.  It certainly cannot compete against Siam Le Bien further East on Hastings.  But really, who are they catering to?  If it is for the casual diner that doesn't care about authenticity and would rather have sweeter than spicier, then maybe they have an audience.  But with the constant lineups at Siam Le Bien, maybe the neighbourhood does prefers authentic Thai food?

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

The Good:
- Fairly decent portions
- Nice decor
- Serviceable eats

The Bad:
- Far too sweet
- Doesn't taste all that authentic