B House

I've seen B House featured on a few IG reels and stories in the past, which definitely intrigued me.  The eclectic menu isn't easily categorized as it jumps from one Asian cuisine to another with fusion elements.  Normally, that would be cause for concern but if you think about it, most restaurants have some form of fusion going on.  Hey, the best food on Earth are results of fusing 2 cuisines (e.g. Vietnamese & French).  Jackie and I dropped by to check them out on a Sunny Sunday.

To illustrate the fusion focus of the menu, the Tuna Sushi Bombs were a bit Japanese, a bit Korean and a touch Westcoast.  It featured a crispy rice base topped with soy-marinated ahi tuna, sesame seeds, green onion, Korean sauce, jalapenos, cucumbers, watermelon radish, truffle aioli, miso glaze and tobiko.  So as you can see, there was a lot going on with each bite.  Was it a bit muddled?  I would say yes, but it was still pretty tasty.  Surprisingly, I still noticed the buttery tuna despite everything on top of it.  The good thing was that no one component dominated the other.  I got the spice from the Korean sauce, the creamy truffle from the aioli and the saltiness of the soy.  The crispy rice was definitely living up to its namesake while not being too firm.

On the same theme, we had the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare next.  It was beautifully plated (fine-dining worthy) with a smear of miso glaze topped with an edamame salad with tomatoes, green onions and herbs.  As for the tartare itself, we found cubed citrus soy yellowfin tuna, avocado, tobiko, sesame seeds and green onion.  This had a lot less going on so that the tuna was more at the forefront.  Similar to the sushi bombs, the tuna was not aggressively marinated, so it was still the star of the plate.  Combined with the creamy avocado and the miso glaze, we had a balanced bite atop a crispy taro chip.

Something that was not quite fusion, we had the Simple Wings.  These were essentially Vietnamese-inspired with salt, pepper, garlic, jalapeno and chili flakes.  I thought these wings were decent with a crispy rice flour coating.  The skin was somewhat rendered and the meat was indeed juicy.  What I would've liked to see some sort of brine as the wings were not flavourful on their own.  Even with the ample amount of aromatic garlic and jalapenos, it didn't do enough to make an impact.

Our last small plate was the Char Siu Bao which, unlike the Chinese version, was Japanese-style char siu nestled within a Chinese mantou-type bao.  These were pretty decent with thick slices of fatty char siu that had a salty sweet glaze on them.  In addition, we found lettuce, aioli, jalapenos, pickled shallots and sesame seeds.  This helped brighten up the whole thing with tanginess, heat and nuttiness.

My favourite dish of the meal was the Dragon Noodle Bowl with stir-fried egg noodles, blackened boneless lemongrass chicken leg, greens, crispy garlic and herbs topped with bang bang shrimp.  These chewy noodles were so flavourful, it was addictive eating them.  Lots of sweetness and savoury elements as well as the crunch from the veggies.  That chicken was superb being juicy and moist while caramelized and charred.  On top of that, literally and figuratively, the bang bang shrimp were slightly crispy and with spice and sweetness.

I had mixed feelings about the Miso Wild Sockeye Salmon.  On one hand, the salmon was overcooked but then the rest of the dish was really good.   The salmon was naturally sweet and was complimented by the rich flavour of the miso.  Some nuttiness was provided by the sesame seeds.  Rice was nicely done being chewy while the veggies were vibrant.  Avocado salsa was creamy and went well with the salmon.  A bit of truffle aioli afforded some creamy woodsiness.

Another favourite of mine was the Korean Chicken Burger.  I'll talk about the other components a bit later, but I would like to focus on the croissant bun.  What a fantastic choice!  It was crispy, yet flaky and buttery.  Even better than brioche!  Now about that chicken, it as juicy and fried beautifully.  I found it sauced just enough to give it some sweet heat.  Lots of crunchy coleslaw to balance out the burger. Those fries were pretty good too, super crispy!

We had another bowl in the Pork Belly that consisted of rice, daikon slaw, cucumber, tomato, pineapple, green onion, soy marinated egg, house aioli, sesame seeds and crispy garlic.  Once again, there was quite a bit going on here, but the pork belly was definitely the most noticeable ingredient.  It was beer braised being tender with just the right amount of fat.  All of the other ingredients did help lighten the bowl with some sweetness and crunch.

We had one more dish in the Thai Red Curry with Chicken Leg.  This was a creamy and generally mild curry that had some hints of spice.  It was plenty aromatic with the coconut cream coming through in texture and in taste.  The fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes provided some brightness.  The whole chicken leg was the star of the plate as it was juicy and tender while sporting crispy and rendered skin.  The side of rice was quite good being fluffy while not too wet.

We also had a couple of cocktails to go with our meal in the Lychee Raspberry Cosmo and the Mango Crema Cosmo.  As you can see, both were fruity in appearance and in fact, were refreshing and sweet.  Definitely great for those who don't want something strong.  As for dessert, we had the Chocolate Molten Brownie.  This was pretty good with a slightly crisp exterior then giving way to an ooey gooey centre.  It was purposefully sweet and plenty chocolatey.  Overall, the meal at B House was definitely interesting with some real strong dishes.  Possibly there maybe a few too many components, but for some odd reason, it seems to work.  There is also a nice patio outside for sunny days.

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

The Good:
- Some strong flavours
- Most proteins were quite good
- Nice vibe (a la The Drive)

The Bad:
- Salmon was quite overdone

Elephant Garden Creamery

Alright, we are in the middle of Winter and I've already visited Elephant Garden Creamery 5 times within 3 weeks.  Why have I done such a silly thing (or to some, not silly at all!)?  Well, let's just say that it has a few things going for it.  First, I have not encountered a long lineup... yet...  Second, the prices are very reasonable with a flight of 4 flavours setting me back only $12.00.  Third, I have not been to a place in the GVRD that can compare with their on point flavours.  So this post is an amalgamation of all 5 visits.

On my first, I brought dessert and ice cream fiend Emily to try out the available flavours.  We ended up getting a triple waffle cone sporting Blueberry Cheesecake on the bottom, Hong Kong Milk Tea in the middle and Mont Blanc on the top.  As you can clearly see, they did not skimp on the scoops as they were large and packed tight.  Texturally, the ice cream was lightly creamy, but a touch inconsistent where some ice crystals were embedded.  Now the flavours were just freakin' awesome.  The cheesecake tasted like I was eating an actual piece with a sweet cheesiness giving way to sweet blueberry and graham cracker crust strewn throughout.  One of the favs had to be the HK milk tea as it was creamy like the drink with pronounced hits of aromatic tea.  This has to be one of the most bang on ice cream flavours in town.  Lastly, the mont blanc was not as heavy as I feared.  Rather, the chestnut was there in flavour as a cremeaux while the vanilla ice cream was fairly light.  Little nuggets of butter cookie crumble added crunch.

We also shared a flight consisting of Vietnamese Coffee, Vegan Mango Coconut Sticky Rice, Malted Milk Choco and Honey Butter Almond.  Much like the HK milk tea, the Vietnamese coffee was right on the money with balanced hits of coffee and equal parts of creamy condensed milk.  Although that might sound really sweet, it wasn't.  To my surprise, my other favourite of the bunch was the vegan mango coconut sticky rice.  This was aromatic and creamy from the coconut milk and the mango added a sweet tang.  The flavours were just so appealing and real tasting that I felt like I was eating the actual dish.  My only wish would be real sticky rice thrown in!  Remember those malted milk desserts?  Well, the malted milk choco tasted exactly like it.  Granted, it was creamier and denser, but the smooth malted taste was addictive and just sweet enough.  Lastly, the honey butter almond was both a flavour and textural bomb.  There was so much "good" sweetness to go with the crunch of the almonds.

On another visit with my kids, we got another flight with Malted Milk Choco (my son really wanted it), Nog it Up, Banana Yogurt and Cookies & Cream Monster.  Again, I might be repeating myself over and over again, but the eggnog ice cream was right on target with both texture and taste.  It was eggy and creamy with the unmistakable hint of nutmeg and cinnamon.  To make it more authentic, I could detect some real alcohol in this...  Even better!  By using ripe bananas, they were able to do something I've rarely seen before - a banana dessert that tasted like actual bananas.  It was so aromatic and naturally sweet with the classic hint of tang from the yogurt.  Coloured with natural butterfly pea flower petals, the blue tinted cookies & cream monster was full of Oreo crumble.  This was not as sweet as it looked and that was a good thing as it allowed the chocolaty sweetness of the Oreos stand out.

After eating dinner, Mijune accompanied me for 2 flights of ice cream (of course, did you think any less???) consisting of many of the same flavours except for one that I hadn't tried before in the Houjicha Cheese Tea.  Now, I've been harping on how on point the flavours are at EGC and also how impactful they are.  Well, this one was very flavourful and dare I say strong tasting.  The matcha tea was definitely there with a tailing off bitterness while the cheese was almost musty in its effect on the overall flavour profile.  If this wasn't impressive enough, I returned shortly after with Steph and had count'em 10 flavours including the new Kumquat Marmalade consisting of Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream with kumquat marmalade.  This was creamy and lightly sweet with the fruity bitterness of the syrupy kumquat peel.  Refreshing and slightly floral.  Somehow, it took me this long to try the Vegan Horchata and it was good!  Lots of flavours going on including the usual cinnamon and nutmeg while being purposefully sweet.  Well there you have it.  Other than the Cereal Milk, I've had every currently available flavour in scoop form.  I can confidently say that EGC has the best flavours in town.  On point, impactful and balanced, they taste exactly how it should be.  Although there is worthy competition from Earnest and Rain or Shine, EGC has the best combination of quality, flavours and pricing in my opinion.

The Good:
- Seriously on point flavours
- Reasonably-priced
- Balanced sweetness

The Bad:
- Some inconsistencies with a few ice crystals

Pepino's Spaghetti House

I'll be blunt here - I wasn't the biggest fan of Nick's Spaghetti House.  Sure, I realized that it was ol' skool Italian-American, so no one could expect stuff found at Ask for Luigi or Savio Volpe.  However, for me at least, it wasn't prepared particularly well nor did I find it a very good value.  To many of the loyal clientele, I was completely wrong and should be struck by lightning for saying such blasphemous things. Well, it is a moot point now as Nick's has been replaced by a snazzier spot in Pepino's Spaghetti House.  However, they pay homage to Nick's keeping that particular style of Italian food alive with their simple, yet focused menu.

Jacqueline and I hit the place up on a busy Friday night to see if their version of Italian-American food was any better (although she had already tried the place out on her own).  Normally, complimentary Bread is not particularly exciting, but I had to include this in the blog post due to the side of butter.  Okay, the bread was soft and fluffy, but the creamy butter ensured we got a second helping.  It was appealingly salty and we ended up slathering it liberally.  We did end up with an appie being the Calamari with garlic sauce.  Although this didn't look particularly sexy, the thick strips of squid were super tender while retaining a chew.  Lightly crispy, the thin layer of batter was nicely seasoned and none too greasy.  What brought everything together (other than the lemon) was the creamy and extremely garlicky dip.

Naturally, the one dish we just had to order was the Spaghettoni, Meat Balls & Gravy.  They really should rename it meatballs with a bit of spaghetti because that would be a more fitting description.  Look at it!  Those baseball-sized meatballs were meaty while not dense.  They were mildly seasoned where the heavy lifting was left up to the tangy and just-salty-enough sauce (or gravy as the menu puts it).  The pasta itself was perfectly al dente while also properly seasoned.  My only wish was for more spaghetti to go with the ridiculous amount of meat.  On that note, the House Lasagna was equally robust with more than enough tender meat stuffed between each layer of pasta.  This was finished off with tart tomato sauce and plenty of melted mozzarella cheese on top.  Again, this was a very generous serving that we couldn't finish.

The best dish of the meal by far was the Chicken Piccata.  It really wasn't complex, but the execution was flawless.  Juicy and succulent, the deboned chicken leg featured rendered skin that was also very well-seasoned.  On that note, every bite of chicken was a literal smack in the face of tangy lemon and capers with a delicious saltiness.  Underneath, the crispy potatoes were exactly as advertised taking equal billing as the chicken.  So this was only a small taste of Pepino's and it was impressive enough that I would totally go back.  That wasn't even in my mindset before dining there.  Consider my mind changed.

The Good:
- Careful execution
- Food is just plain tasty
- That butter

The Bad:
- Although portion sizes are definitely fair, the prices are on the higher side
- Room is retro and snazzy, but very tight

Havana

Ever since our recent trip to Miami (been there a few times before though), it got me thinking about the lack of Cuban food in these parts.  Wait, is there technically only one place where we can get "Cuban" food in the GVRD?  Yes, that place is Havana located on the Drive.  Much like ICBC, they have the market cornered and other than hopping on a plane heading Southeast for 6 hours, there is no other option.  So nearly 7 years from my last foray, we decided to hit up Havana after play softball at nearby Strathcona Park.

As the food came out pretty much all at the same time, we had to do our version of Tetris to fit everything onto the table.  I attacked the Tostones with chipotle mayo first.  These were quite good as they were crispy and sliced just thin enough.  They were of a good size with very few broken pieces. Surprisingly, they were comparable to the ones I've had in Miami.  Next, I sampled the Tostados with house made mesa sauce, feta cheese and chorizo sausage.  Light, crunchy and not overloaded with toppings (would make it wet and soggy otherwise), we didn't mind this dish.  The mildly spiced mesa sauce was amped by the chorizo.

Onto Bear's favourite, we had the Fresh Baked Corn Bread with smoked chili butter.  This was also quite the pleasant surprise as it was toasty on all surfaces due to the light sear on the grill.  By no means was it dry though as there was a certain moistness to the inside.  I thought the butter was nicely understated in its smokiness that it didn't overwhelm the sweet corn taste.  We weren't overly impressed with the Albacore Tuna Crudo with garlic, lemon and jalepeno with crispy tortilla chips though.  Not sure if the artistic plating really worked as there was too much blank space on the plate.  Moving past that, the actual crudo was chunky and rather lifeless.  The promise of garlic, lemon and jalapeno did not come to fruition.

Onto some bigger items, we had the Paella with West Coast mussels, prawns, house made chorizo sausage, peppers, onions, tomatoes, saffron, rice, coconut milk and Pernod. Okay, let's get this out of the way first - as you can clearly see, this was not really a "Paella".  Hence, there was no rice crust and furthermore, the dish resembled more of a risotto (due to the creaminess) than a paella.  Flavourwise, the dish was the beneficiary of garlic, spice and a understated richness.  Deceptively filling, the Ropa Veija (Braised Beef on Cuban rice) was meaty and sufficiently moist.  The flavours were understated with hits of green and red peppers throughout.

Despite the absence of a Cuban sandwich on the menu, we went for the next best thing in the Media Noche with spicy BBQ sauce.  Consisting of roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, house made spicy BBQ sauce, chipotle mayo and pickles, this was a decent sandwich.  There was a good amount of tender pork that was spiked with a lingering spicy BBQ sauce.  What was most memorable about the dish was actually the side of Parmesan Fries.  These were crispy, light and full of salty, cheesy flavour.  One of our favourite items was the Fried Chicken featuring a crispy chicken breast, sour cream & onion mash, coconut gravy, asparagus and corn.  Considering that the chicken was white meat, they did a great job in keeping it moist.  The coconut gravy was aromatic and rich while the veggies were crunchy and sweet.

For dessert, we shared the Caramel Bread Pudding with praline ice cream.  Sadly, this was dud as the pudding was far too dry and lacking in caramel sauce.  It wasn't overly sweet as a result, but the texture was not appealing.  Really, this was an unfortunate ending to a relatively enjoyable meal.  Sure, it ain't real Cuban food, but taken for what it is, there were not many other complaints other than the dessert.

The Good:
- Generally well-executed food
- Nice vibe
- We got attentive service

The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Not true Cuban food, if you haven't noticed

La Mezcaleria

At one point, when locations of Taco Bell and Taco Time had outnumbered true Mexican restaurants, it exemplified the sad state of the cuisine in Vancouver.  Fortunately, those days seemed to be in the rear-view mirror, much like a car tailgating along #3 Road. With the increasing number of "as-authentic-as-can-be for Vancouver" joints opening up, we no longer have to accept tatar tots as Mexi-fries.  One of the newest places is La Mezcaleria on Commercial, brought to you by the same people as La Taqueria.

Due to a mix-up on the first visit, I was ultimately treated to 2 meals with Miss Y as my trusty eating companion. So I'll merely bunch everything into one post.  We started with the Pacific Snapper Ceviche consisting of tomato, lime, red onion, serrano peppers and cilantro with a side of freshly-fried tortilla chips.  We found the fish tender while still firm.  There was a good amount of lime as well as a low rumble of heat. Ultimately, it was light and refreshing.  At first, we were wanting some more seasoning, but the salt on the crunchy chips provided that balance.  Accompanied by the same chips, our side of Guacamole with ripe avocado, lime, cilantro, onions, jalapeno and tomato was good.  Since it was made-to-order, everything was vibrant and fresh.  I liked how it wasn't over mixed where there was still some chunkiness. I would've liked to see more acidity though (but there was a wedge of lime).

Of course we couldn't eat at a place named La Mezcaleria without trying the Mezcal Flight. I'm not too familiar with Mezcal, so don't expect an in-depth analysis. What I do know is that Mezcal and Tequila are both made from the agave plant, yet with Mezcal, it is roasted (which imparts a smokier flavour). So from left to right, I had Mezcal from Coyoacan, Espadin and lastly an Aged Mezcal.  It was served with spiced orange wedges, sangrita and lime.  You're not supposed to "shoot" the drinks, rather, it is best to sip with alternating samples from the sangrita and lime.  I quite liked experimenting to create different flavours.  Probably the most interesting dish we tried was the Queso Fundido with chorizo.  Essentially a cheese fondue, it was served in a volcanic rock molcajete and accompanied by soft tortillas.  Suffice to say, this was extremely cheesy and stringy.  And yes, by the visuals, it was pretty greasy too with the moist and flavourful chorizo.

Onto some other mains, we had the Pirillada consisting of grilled short-ribs marinated in a home-made pasilla chili sauce, chorizo, nopalitos, toreado peppers and green onions.  The moist and flavourful short ribs exhibited a nice char and was quite mild, salty and slightly sweet.  Miss Y remarked it tasted like somewhat like a smokier Korean short ribs.  The side of nopalitos (or cactus) was remarkably not slimy and had a nice hit of lime and spice.  We liked the meaty and mildly spicy chorizo on the side.  We also sampled the Chicken Enchilada topped with red tomato salsa, onion, cream and Mexican cheese.  The star of the dish was the wonderful roja as it was slightly smoky, zesty and layered with flavour.  It started off sweet and ended with a low rumble of spice.  The chicken itself was moist and lightly seasoned.

Saving the best for last, we really enjoyed the Tostadas de Pato made with duck confit, guava, fruit mole sauce, chayote and radish.  These were very good with a crunch from both the corn tortilla and veggies.  The duck itself was smoky, sweet and mildly spicy.  It was suggested we eat them by hand, but there was so much stuff on top, it was pretty difficult.  The fruit mole added a nice creaminess which brightened up the flavours.  And of course we had to try some Tacos (since they are the same people as La Taqueria).  From left to right, we had the Lengua (tongue), Carnitas (pork confit), Asada (flank steak) and Cachete (beef cheeks).  The tongue was moist and fatty while the carnitas was tender with depth and nicely accented by the pickled onions.  The asada was smoky with caramelized flavours.  Lastly, the beef cheek was also moist exhibiting natural flavours from the braise.

For dessert, we shared the Flan which was made with condensed and evaporated milk, hence the dulce de leche-type consistency and sweetness.  Although it was on the denser side, we enjoyed it nonetheless for its richness and controlled sweetness.  Even the caramel on the bottom wasn't stingingly sweet, rather, it was smoky and a touch bitter.  Overall, for all the dishes we tried, the meal(s) were good. The thing we noticed the most was the freshness of all the ingredients (which never hurts).  And also, if you are a fan of Mezcal, there is probably no other place in Vancouver that can rival La Mezcaleria.

*Note - this was an invited dinner where all food was comped except for a 2 items and gratuities

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Fresh ingredients
- Well-executed proteins

The Bad:
- Room is cozy, but that also means a bit cramped too