Li'l Cheese Steak Spot

The mall food court - a collection of eateries that usually include the following: Japanese teppanyaki, a burger chain, Chinese combo #5, sandwiches, juice bar, slice pizza and french fry joint.  Depending on the size, there will naturally be more options.  But really, it is generally much of the same.  However, with an invite to try out Li'l Cheese Steak Spot in Royal Centre, there appeared to be something different on the horizon.  As per usual, I enlisted the help of Sean to help me in this adventure.

We started off with some salads to whet our palates.  Of the 2, I enjoyed the Black-Eyed Peas the best as it combined onions, olives and cilantro finished with olive oil and lemon juice.  Although super simple, it was appealingly acidic and salty (due to the olives).  As for the Tomato Salad, it consisted of tomatoes, onions and cilantro with olive oil and lemon juice.  This one was much milder and lighter due to the ingredients.  From this I headed straight for the Gumbo made of okra, chicken and smoked sausage atop white rice.  This was a little less rich than other versions I've tried but it was still hearty nonetheless (I'm sure a darker rue might scare some people off).  There was a bevy of ingredients that made this fulfilling.  Flavours were slightly smoky with only a touch of spice.

Moving onto the main event, we sampled both the Beef Cheesesteak and Roast Pork Sandwich.  Believe it or not, we liked the Roast Pork more as it felt more hearty and impactful.  It was dressed with melted cheese, grilled onions, fresh tomatoes, pesto and banana peppers on a hand-made roll.  The pork itself was meaty and tender exhibiting a nice natural flavour.  I thought the ingredients accented well except for the peppers as they were pretty acidic (maybe less of them or none at all?).  While the Cheese Steak was named as such, I considered it more of a shaved prime rib sandwich.  With that in mind, it was a solid sandwich with melt-in-my-mouth beef that was nestled in melted cheese.  Again, I would've enjoyed this even more with less banana peppers (so that the beef and cheese could stand out more).  Overall, I enjoyed the freshly made food at Li'l Cheeses Steak.  It sure beats the deli meats next door at Subway.

*All food was complimentary*

The Good:
- Freshly made-to-order sandwiches
- Meats are good quality

The Bad:
- I would ditch the banana peppers personally (interferes with the natural flavours)

Straight Outta Brooklyn NYC Pizzeria

As if eating a bowl of ramen, a side of Gyu Don, sharing some chashu and half of a ramen burger wasn't enough for lunch, Steve suggested we hit up Straight Outta Brooklyn NYC Pizzeria for kicks.  Honestly, if we were attempting to emulate a day in the life of Mijune, we would fail miserably.  We just don't have that type of pedigree or more accurately, that type of metabolism.  In fact, I think ours are probably the reverse.  Whatever the case, we each decided to try a different slice of pizza.

For myself, the White Pie was calling out to me with its combination of mozzarella, smoked provolone, grana padano, ricotta, garlic and oregano.  It turned out to be a good choice as there was a wealth of flavours despite its unassuming appearance.  There were definite hits of real minced garlic, saltiness and background smokiness from the provolone and the crust itself.  Vandelay had the standard being the Margherita. Being a simple concoction, the pizza was good with subtle flavours.  The tomato sauce was not particularly noticeable while the whole basil leaves added that classic taste.  I personally would've like to see them added after baking.

Steve had the Spicy! with capicollo and salami piccante.  This one did live up to its name with some heat from the toppings.  It wasn't too much in our faces to cause much of a problem, but it wasn't bland.  As for the crust, it was super thin (living up to its Brooklyn-style namesake) and crispy.  It was so crispy, that we could pick it up without needing to fold it.  There was a sufficient amount of browning underneath and on the edges for a bit of nuttiness.  With all things considered, I can see why Vandelay has this place on weekly lunch rotation.  For a reasonable price, one can get well-made thin-crust pizza that sets itself apart from all the other slice pizza joints.

The Good:
- Thin, crispy crust
- Impactful toppings
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Pretty much take out, not a whole lot of seats
- Limited ready-made selection (but can be good too to keep things simple)

Wildebeest

Gosh, I haven't seen Hypno in years...  Funny thing, we used to live within blocks of each other and we still didn't see each other much.  Wait, was this a hint or something?  Whatever the case, he was back in town and wanted to meet up for eats.  After throwing out some ideas, we established the fact that we had to go somewhere that did not feature too much seafood (he doesn't eat seafood).  Hence, my suggestion of Wildebeest was welcomed with open arms.

We started with a few small appies including the Spiced Pork Rinds.  These were served majestically in a metal cup where they ate as good as they looked.  Light, crispy and airy, each bite melted in my mouth after the initial crunch.  There was no absence of seasoning where there was some sweet and salty smokiness going on.  The only thing I would've liked to see was less grease as it could've been drained a bit better.  Next, we tried the Poutine which was the beneficiary of a good amount of cheese curds.  I couldn't tell if they were squeaky or not since they had all melted.  With a sprinkle of black pepper, the gravy was both salty and peppery.  As much as the fries were fresh-cut, I would've preferred them to be crispier (the parts not doused in gravy that is).

Onto some bigger starters, I tried the Roasted Veal Sweetbreads with charred heirloom onions, mission fig purée and spiced walnuts.  I have to say this dish was on point (or should I say on fleek?) as the sweetbreads were expertly prepared.  With a nice seared caramelized exterior which gave way to a tender bite with a rebound, this was as good as sweetbreads can get.  The side of fig puree added an understated sweetness that complimented the onions and walnuts.  Hypno decided on the Spring Beet Salad with shaved cucumber, compressed apple, ricotta salata, beetroot sorbet and miner’s lettuce.  Beautifully plated with equally eye-catching colours, the salad was also good.  The sweet Earthiness of the sorbet stayed within the theme of the dish where the beets themselves echoed the same flavours.

Onto our mains, I went for the Seared Venison with roasted cauliflower purée, grainy mustard spätzle, belgian endive and natural jus.  Prepared a proper medium-rare, this ensured that the lean venison would be succulent and sufficiently tender.  On the outside, there was a flavourful bark from the ample sear which added a smokiness to the meat.  I thought the cauliflower puree was impactful with a natural sweetness.  With a fluffy rebound and a crisp crust, the spätzle was well-executed.  Hypno had the Angus Striploin with roasted fingerling potatoes & cipollini onions, onion purée, smoked salt and hay jus.  As requested, the meat was just past medium-rare where it still maintained a succulence that resulted in a moist and tender chew.  Again, the meat was obviously seasoned where the sweetness of onion emanated from the puree and cipollini onions.

For dessert, we shared the Wildebeest Cheesecake with strawberry sorbet and crumble.  This was a super light and mildly sweet version where the "cheesecake" was akin to whipped cream.  I personally would've preferred something more dense.  on the other hand, the star of the plate was the natural-tasting smooth strawberry sorbet which added a sweet tang.  The light crumble on top added more texture and sweetness.  From the dishes we tried at Wildebeest, we were pretty content.  Portion sizes weren't exactly large, but they were adequate.  Unlike some others have stated, we received really good, unpretentious service.

The Good:
- Well-prepared proteins
- Not deficient in seasoning
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Portion sizes were modest

Tuc Craft Kitchen

This re-visit to Tuc Craft Kitchen has been a long time coming.  As much as I enjoyed my initial visit, there have been a slew of other restaurants I needed to try (and some I still haven't gotten to).  But really, I was pretty anxious to return because the last time, I only tried 4 dishes during their lunch service.  I did consider enlisting the help of Whipping Girl, but she has gone MIA as of late (busy whipping?  er..) Anyways, thanks to Doc and The Ringer, we checked out Tuc late after the Canucks final game of the season.

We began with their signature dish being the Gelderman Farms Pork Belly Cracklings with coarse salt and on the side, star anise red wine reduction.  I felt they executed this better than last time as each nugget of pork belly was firmly crisp on the outside while still retaining a moist meatiness (last time, it was more dry throughout).  Of course we couldn't forget about the wine reduction as it provided the nicely tart and aromatic balance to the rich pork belly.  Next up, we tried the Parsnip and Smashed Potato Fries with toasted coriander ketchup.  The smashed potato fries were pretty much as described being large and potatoey with a lightly crisp exterior.  Light and crunchy, the parsnip ate like shoestring fries.  Although not a particularly exciting dish, the side of coriander ketchup was money as there was a fragrant tangy sweetness.

Although their cracklings are addictively good, we felt the Australian Orange Glazed Lamb Ribs were off-the-charts.  First of all, the amount of lamb was quite generous.  Secondly, the lamb was super moist and succulent.  But third and most importantly, the jalapeno pepper orange glaze hit our palates with full force.  It started off sweet and citrusy, then moved onto a background spice that was just right.  Next, we moved onto a larger dish in the Cabernet Braised Double R Ranch Beef Cheeks with red wine glace, gratin potatoes, shallots & wilted spinach.  Don't let the size of the cast iron pan fool you, there was a significant amount of rich, succulent beef cheeks nestled within the creamy and cheesy potatoes.  Unlike many other restaurants, they were able to infuse a noticeable amount of flavour in the beef cheeks without being just plain salty.  There was depth from the Cabernet to go with the natural gelatinous flavour of the cheeks.

Staying with red meat, the Port Glazed Grass Fed Beef Short Ribs arrived next.  This was accompanied by caramelized pearl onions, kohlrabi, herb nugget potatoes and chocolate port sauce.  Much like the beef cheeks, the short ribs were fall apart tender while retaining an appealing amount of moisture.  Although more mild in flavour, the meat was the beneficiary of a rich reduction which was slightly sweet and a touch smoky.  At the same time, we tackled the Braised Pork and Cranberry Chutney consisting of herb roasted Fraser Valley pork shoulder, double smoked bacon, roasted nugget potatoes and cranberry chutney.  The pork shoulder itself was somewhat dry, but the ample amount of sauce (which was somewhat similar to the previous dish except more meaty and mild).  I found that the tart cranberries helped bring brightness to the dish.

Moving away from the pork and beef, we had the Pacific Seafood Stew with pacific oysters, Lake Louise steelhead trout, manila clams, salt spring island mussels, basmati rice and lemon grass & white wine broth.  At first, Viv thought the rice was underdone, but as it began to soak up the ample creamy broth, it was just right.  The white wine was not that apparent while we did get a hint of lemongrass.  All the seafood was on point, especially the trout as it was moist and flaky.  For dessert, we shared the Doughnuts with spiced rum caramel sauce.  As much as the doughnuts themselves were greasy and a bit too fried (moist cakiness though), the side of caramel sauce was money.  It was purposefully sweet with a touch of booze.  Once again, Tuc Craft Kitchen didn't disappoint.  Fantastic food at a reasonable price point.

The Good:
- Dependable and solid food
- Reasonably-priced for what you get
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- Not really a bad, but the menu could diversify a bit as there are very similar dishes
- Dessert selection is small

Chewy Junior

When Chewy Junior opened up shop in Gastown, it came on the heels of Beta5's ever-popular cream puffs.  Upon closer inspection, Chewy Junior is not a copy-cat, rather, they have been a popular treat since 2007 internationally.  Furthermore, although they look extremely similar, Chewy Junior employs a mochi-pastry hybrid shell.  Hence, the name is only fitting where the overall texture is quite a bit chewier.  Since I am a big fan of the Beta5 version, there was no doubt I had to see what its closest rival was offering up.

I ended up with a dozen cream puffs covering all 9 of their available flavours.  It wasn't cheap where it rivaled the price of Beta5.  The first thing I noticed was the trademark texture where the outside was slightly crispy while the rest of it was chewy.  The first 3 we tried were the Strawberry Cheese, Blueberry Cheese and Neapolitan.  With only mild hits of cream cheese with a touch of glazed fruit, these were not overly sweet.  In fact, the custard filling wasn't too sweet either.  Personally, that was ideal, but for some, it might be on the milder side.  Even the Neapolitan, with the top completely covered in chocolate was pretty easy on the sugar. One thing that I didn't like was the consistency of the filling.  It was quite runny and it splattered all-over-the-place with each bite.  

The next trio was simply very chocolatey including the Chocolate Oreo Crunch, Chocolate Zebra and Double Chocolate Crunch.  With each filled with a chocolate custard, there was no mistaking the predominant flavour.  Yet, they continued the trend of being mildly sweet.  I normally do not like overly chocolatey treats, but these were not bad.  Onto the last 3, we had the Chocolate Almond Crunch, Almond Sweetheart and Matcha Nippon.  Okay, for some reason or another, these were sweeter (except for the chocolate almond).  Possibly the use of white chocolate might've been the culprit.  Overall, I liked how they were mildly sweet.  However, I wasn't a huge fan of the runny custard nor the chewier exterior.  As much as many of us would like to compare it to Beta5, they are not really the same.  With that being said, I do like Beta5 more.

The Good:
- Not overly sweet flavours
- An alternative to gourmet donuts

The Bad:
- Custard too runny
- Pricey

Tacofino Gastown

"Let's eat all the tacos! Oh and a few more items as well...", exclaimed Sean.  Translation: let's do what Mijune does every meal... 3x a day...  Okay, I may not be able to do that on a consistent basis, but once in a while, I'm game.  The destination?  The new Tacofino located off Blood Alley or at the back of the Burrito Bar off Cordova.  From their humble beginnings as one food truck in Tofino, there seems to be no end to their expansion as we are now onto their 5th iteration in BC.

After entering off the infamous Blood Alley, we were seated to begin our session of gluttony.  We started off with the Chicharones with yucca, crispy pork belly and slaw.  Light, airy and crisp, the large pieces of chicharone were tossed in some spice.  Also, tossed in the same spice mix, the accompanying pork belly was meaty and only slightly fatty.  To balance things off, the slaw was refreshing, yet in need of acidity.  I wasn't a huge fan of the fried yucca as it was too hard.  Next, we sampled the Salmon Ceviche with chinook salmon, salmon skin chicharone, tomatillo, herb salad and chips.  I found the ceviche to be acidic, bright and a touch too sweet. The collection of herbs added another layer of flavour. Firm while still tender, the salmon was able to stand up to the marinade.

When Sean said he would be aggressive with the menu, he wasn't kidding as we continued with more bites and we hadn't even gotten to the tacos yet!   We continued on with the Oaxacan Corn Fritters with chili lime and cotija cheese.  These were pretty firm where the exterior crunch was bordering on hard.  Inside, the little nuggets of sweetness was provided by the niblets of corn.  With a generous topping of cotija and chili, there was this spicy cheesy thing going on with a nice touch of tartness.  Served majestically, the Glazed Beef Rib and Chilaquiles with lemon grass, habanero, kale and peanuts.  The slightly grilled beef rib was succulent and super juicy.  Texturally, it had a meaty chew where most of the meat directly around the bone was impossible to eat (typical of short ribs).  The whole thing was aromatic from the peanuts and lemongrass.

Still not into the tacos, we had the Octopus Tostada with grilled pacific octopus, avocado-jalapeno crema and chili oil.  I thought the octopus was prepared well where it was tender with a bit of residual chew.  The creamy avocado was tangy where the chili oil added lingering heat.  On the bottom, the crunch from the tostada was a good contrast texturally.  Finally onto the tacos, we had their signature Fish Taco first.  Consisting of a decently-size piece of Pacific cod topped with cabbage, chipotle mayo and salsa fresca, the whole thing was actually light and refreshing despite the crispy and flaky piece of fish.  I guess the crunchy cabbage and vibrant salsa helped add a fresh brightness.  I do believe this is still a very good fish taco and would gladly eat it over and over again.

Next, we tackled the Red Chorizo Taco with crispy kale, avocado-jalapeno crema and pickled onions.  As expected, the crumbled chorizo was oily while dry meaty in texture.  This spicy taco was fairly heavy due to the type of meat.  Hence, it could've used a bit more of the pickled onion to cut the grease.  As much as kale is overused in many dishes, it worked here providing a light crunch and background aromatics.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Crispy Chicken Taco (pickled vegetables, epazote chimichurri and buttermilk chili crema) was more mild with only the influence of the herbal garlickiness of the chimichurri and acidity of the pickled veggies.  The chicken was indeed crispy where the meat was on the drier side.  It was seasoned enough though.

We had heightened expectations for our next dish which was the Lamb Birria with herb salad, arbol chili, pickled nopales and preserved lemon zest.  Apparently people have raved about this one.  Unfortunately for us, this was a total bust.  The shredded lamb was practically inedible since it was stringy and chewy.  On the other hand, the nopales on top were tender and not very slimy.  There was a good amount of acidity due to the ingredients involved.  Our last item was the Steak Taco consisting of grilled skirt steak, pickled chayote and pineapple.  Yes, we didn't really have all the tacos because we excluded the vegetarian options...  Anyways, I found the steak to be sweet and spicy as well as being rather chewy.  The pineapple was probably the main reason why the taco was so sweet.  This one had a good balance of flavours, if only the steak was more tender.  After destroying a good portion of the menu, I got the sense that the food was definitely interesting and generally good.  Sure, there were a few hiccups, but that is normal with any restaurant.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Nice vibe
- Considerably larger menu than the other locations

The Bad:
- Not exactly expensive, but not exactly cheap either
- Generally good flavours including purposeful acidity, but I personally would've liked more spice, but then again, that is what the accompanying sauces are for

Bridges Restaurant

Sometimes, I get so caught up with new restaurants, I forget about the long-standing ones.  Case in point, I have never blogged about Bridges Restaurant, even though I've been there many moons ago.  It could very well be its location being somewhat of a "tourist trap" affecting my desire to eat there.  But just because it is located within a famous Vancouver tourist attraction doesn't necessarily mean it cannot serve good food.  Well, that was what we were going to find out in this food adventure (aided by a Travelzoo voucher).

We ended up with 3 appies to sharing starting with the Fraser Valley Duck Confit with crispy polenta, blood orange & burnt honey marmalade.  Sporting a crispy and almost airy skin, it was unfortunate the duck meat itself was mostly chewy and dry.  It wasn't salty though where the duck essence really came through.  We found the marmalade to be aromatic and slightly tart.  Next up was the Roasted Pork Belly with herbed farro, pickled huckleberries and chanterelles.  We weren't overly enthused with this dish as the slices of belly were chewy with a hard exterior.  Despite this, the meat was aromatic and plenty fatty (which was the best part).  The chewy (in a good way) farro was nicely seasoned by the abundance of herbs.  Tart and acidic, the huckleberries lightened things up a bit.

Our last appie was the Tiger Prawn Cakes served with a lobster curry emulsion.  Within the crunchy crumb coating, the shrimp were sweet and exhibited a mild snap.  We found these to be rather small where some of the moisture was lost due to the size.  As for the dip, it was very mild with only hints of curry. We didn't even notice much of the lobster essence as it was lost in the sauce.  For my main, I went for the Paella with clams, mussels, chorizo, scallops, prawns atop saffron rice.  As much as this wasn't really a paella due to being served on a plate without the benefit of a rice crust, I found it rather tasty.  The saffron hit my taste buds as well as my olfactory system (what's with this scientific term???).  The rice was chewy while still being bathed in some moisture.  There was a decent amount of seafood which was prepared properly.

Viv opted for the Short Ribs & Tagliatelle with toasted walnuts, lemon, sage & grana padano.  Graced with a good amount of tender shredded short rib, the pasta was filling despite its modest portion size.  The noodles were toothsome and bathed in a creamy and herbal (mostly sage) sauce that had just a touch of acidity.  Extra layers of flavour were provided by the nuttiness of the walnuts and saltiness of the grana padano.  My mom thought she should go big with her entree and decided on the Fresh Nova Scotia Lobster with braised leeks, parsnip purée & drawn butter.  We were rather confused why this was served with parsnip purée.  Don't get me wrong, it was smooth and wonderfully seasoned, but it didn't really go.  As for the lobster, it was a touch overdone where the tail meat was on the chewier side.  It was super sweet and tasty though.

My dad had the Roasted Sablefish with udon noodles, fried eggplant, roasted almonds and miso sake broth. Seared until golden brown and with crispy skin, the sablefish meat was flaky and buttery (also well-seasoned).  Underneath, the broth was on the saltier side, yet still had a nice Earthiness thanks to the mushrooms.  We didn't notice much of the sake though.  For dessert, we shared 3 of them, but in reality only had one because the kids high-jacked the others.  So the adults shared the Baked Cheesecake with sour cherry compote.  This was money as it was creamy while not overly dense.  It was not too sweet either where we really got a good amount of cream cheese aroma.  Although the tart cherries was a nice compliment, the actual cheesecake itself could've used a touch of tang.

For my daughter, she was all over the House-Made Sorbetto including lemon, mango and strawberry.  We found the sorbetto to be smooth and almost creamy (yah, with just ice...).  The flavours were purposeful and natural with only a touch of sugar.  My son ate most of the S'mores Stack with torched house-made marshmallow and custard atop a graham cracker crust.  Remarkably, this was not really all the sweet despite appearing so.  The fluffy marshmallow was nicely caramelized on top emitting a certain smokiness.  These desserts were a nice finish to a hit and miss dinner.  As much as there were some enjoyable items in our meal, the regular prices are too high if the food cannot be consistent across the board.

The Good:
- Nice place, nice view
- Excellent service
- Desserts were good

The Bad:
- Hit and miss dishes
- Expensive