The Handpulled Noodle

Sometimes, we just need to eat something closeby and convenient, even if it means sacrificing something awesome.  That doesn't mean we would merely grab a hot dog from a random food cart and call it a day (however, some hot dogs rule!).  Instead, we walked a few blocks to a quick-service spot called The Handpulled Noodle.  This would serve us well, since it was a fast meal just before watching a play nearby.

Ordering can be by 2 methods here - either by the self-service ordering screen or at the front counter.  However, they were so busy, there was really no one at the counter.  We ended up getting the Hot & Tangy Shrimp Wontons to start.  These looked plenty hot, but in reality, they were more tangy, sweet and a bit smoky.  Sure, there was spice, but it wasn't tongue-burning.  The wontons featured a semi-thick, yet delicate dumpling wrapper.  Inside, the shrimp filling had a nice rebound texture.

For our first noodle dish, we had the Herbal Beef Soup Noodles served with thick noodles.  We found the broth to be flavorful, yet lacking a bit of depth.  I didn't get a whole lot of meatiness to go with the mild spice.  As for the noodles, they were chewy in a good way and remained as such to the end.  The slices of beef shank were tender with a natural meatiness.

Of course we were going to get the Beijing Bolo (aka Zhajiang Mien) with the # 2 noodles (aka Biang Biang noodles).  This dish was all about the wide noodles with its robust and chewy texture.  I thought the meat sauce wasn't as savoury as I would've expected.  It was actually more sweet and almost nutty.  This wasn't spicy, so great for those who wanted something mild

Since we always struggle to get enough veggies when we were out-of-town, we got the Broccoli with garlic as a side.  This was fine as the broccoli was a little overdone, but definitely had lots of garlic.  Maybe a little lacking in the wok hei, but did the job nonetheless.  In fact, this meal did feed us and we were okay with it.  Nothing amazing and really, we don't think it was trying to be either.  They do need to have another ordering kiosk as the only one there doesn't do the job when there is a lineup.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Fresh handmade noodles have a good texture

The Bad:

- Food is only okay

- Ordering Kiosk is overwhelmed when there is a lineup   

Yang's Dumplings

I'm not a fan of lineups when it comes to anything.  However, there are times that I give in and actually wait for however long it is to get the payoff.  So when Yang's Dumplings opened up in Richmond, I was tempted to wait in line.  So would it be worth it for some Sang Jeen Bao (Pan Fried Pork Buns)?  This popular chain is from Shanghai and are famous for the aforementioned dish.  Ultimately, I decided to wait and return when there was no lineup.  That I did and got seated right away and in fact, the food came shockingly fast as well.

Despite literally only taking minutes from when we ordered for the Yang's Dumplings (Pan Fried Pork Buns) to arrive, they were quite good.  We could see them making these to order and pan-frying them continuously.  Hence, the immediacy of the dish being ready.   Unlike many other versions, the bun portion was thin and almost resembled a regular dumpling except for a touch of fluffiness.  The bottom of the bun (it was really the top) was super crispy and nutty.  Inside, there was considerable amount of soup that was only a touch greasy.  It was sweet and meaty with a bit of xiaoshing wine aroma.  The meat was tender and bouncy.  Really enjoyed this, but wished these were served hotter.  Since they are continuously pan-frying these, maybe our dish was possibly sitting for a bit.

We also went for with their other featured bun in the Shrimp Dumplings.  Sure, both the previous dish and this one are described as dumplings on the menu, but in reality, these are still buns in my opinion.  But as mentioned, their version is more like dumplings than the usual pan fried buns.  For the shrimp dumpling, it consisted of 3 whole shrimp hidden inside the thin layer of bun.  I found the shrimp to have a good rebound texture while being sweet.  There was a little less soup than the pork bun (maybe just less fat), but it was still tasty and full of umami.  Even though I liked this dumpling, I thought the pork version was superior in terms of impact and texture.

For our larger dishes, I went for their Signature Duck Vermicelli Soup.  The best part of that was the broth as it was slightly gelatinous and full of natural duck flavour.  Although the broth was seasoned, it wasn't heavy, thus it let the duck essence do the heavy lifting.  Other than the slippery vermicelli noodles, we found blood, gizzards, slices of duck and tofu puffs on top.  I thought the duck was fairly tender while the skin was a bit flabby.  Gizzards were on point with a certain chewiness without actually being tough.  The small cubes of blood had some bounce and that usual iron-finish.  Overall a solid, if not very subtle-tasting bowl of noodles.

On the other hand, the Diced Beef Hot & Sour Potato Starch Noodle Soup was much more bold in flavour.  With that being said, it wasn't overly spicy though.  The broth didn't have a considerable amount of depth but didn't taste like water either.  It helped that the little nuggets of beef (and the braising liquid) added the necessary meatiness for the bowl of noodles.  As for the noodles themselves, they were at their slippery best while being semi-soft.

One under-the-radar dish was the Mini-Pork Wontons in chicken broth.  Lightly sweet and not overly salty, the chicken broth was quite good.  Those mini-wontons featured delicate wrappers that were a bit soft.  Inside, the pork filling was rather tasty and definitely tender with some bounciness.  Sure, this wasn't a dish that would blow people away, but it was comforting and familiar.

Just to ensure we got something veggies into the meal, we opted for the Seasonal Vegetables.  This was actually blanched yau chow with some soy sauce.  Pretty simple dish, but at least the yau choy was cooked just right having a crunch left in the stalks while being cooked through.  Overall, the meal at Yang's was quite good and those pan-fried pork dumplings were on point.  I would come for those specifically, while the other dishes were average, but competent.

The Good:

- Those pan-fried pork dumplings

- Okay pricing

- Efficient system, get your food quickly

The Bad:

- Other items were average

Juicy Dumpling

Walking up and down Spadina for a whole week meant I would be passing by Juicy Dumpling on a daily basis.  Although there are rave reviews of the place on the internet, I was a bit skeptical.  But the place seemed busy most of the time.  Also, the lure of the $2.99 XLBs prominently on their window (with minimum purchase of $10.00), I just couldn't help myself.  Despite already finishing off some tacos from Seven Lives, we stopped by for another quick bite.

So let's get right to the mini-sized Xiao Long Bao shall we?  At first glance, these did not look all that impressive with its deflated shape and also the thick top twirl.  Despite having a good amount of soup in these, the actual dumpling wrapper was a bit too doughy for my tastes.  That was mainly the top of the dumpling though as the bottom was appreciably thinner.  I would've liked to see more elasticity though.  The pork filling itself was decent being tender, if not a touch gritty.  Soup was mostly sweet with some savoury elements.  Interestingly, we had to ask for vinegar as the default sauce that came with these was hot sauce.

To get to the minimum spend for the XLB special, we got a few more items including the Pan-Fried Dumplings.  These were aggressively-seared on the bottom resulting in crunchy parts that were nutty and smoky.  The dumpling skin as a whole was medium-thick and had a chew to it.  I thought it was a bit stiff, yet it did have some elasticity.  Inside, the pork and cabbage filling was not overly dense being tender with some soup mixed with fat.

I couldn't pass up the Spicy Wontons as that is one of my favourite things to eat.  These were not bad where the filling was juicy and bouncy while mildly seasoned.  These were cooked just enough where the wrapper was delicate and buttery without being to soft and falling apart.  As for the chili oil "sauce" it wasn't too spicy where it was more nutty and smoky than anything else.  Other than those flavours, we found a bit of saltiness and mild sweetness.

Last item was the Salty Donut which had quite a bit of girth (okay, let the jokes fly here...).  Anyways, this was good where the outside was crunchy and not too greasy (despite it soaking up a decent amount of oil).  Inside, it was fluffy with some salty chewiness.  I only wish there was some congee or salted soy milk for me to dip this into!  Overall, the stuff from Juicy Dumpling is serviceable.  Not a huge fan of the XLBs despite being cheap.  I guess it is fine for those who want an inexpensive meal or something for late night eats.

The Good:

- Cheap

- Open late

- Salty donut was great

The Bad:

- Dumplings are serviceable but not memorable

Shanghai Dumpling King (Kingsway)

For the longest time, I've been trying to pay Shanghai Dumpling King on Kingsway a visit.  But every time I've been foiled by either a long lineup or lack of parking available in the tight parking lot and/or on the street.  Also, with all of the other places I can eat at, I just lost interest.  However, Ophilia insisted I go and we made plans to have dinner there on a weekday night in hopes of avoiding all the aforementioned challenges.  So we were able to find a parking space and actually snag the last small table in the place.  Finally, mission accomplished!

Getting right to the point, the one dumpling that you must order here is the Potstickers.  These are so on point with a medium-thick skin that is pliable and also has nice elasticity.  The bottom is crisped up beautifully while the pork & cabbage filling is tender and juicy.  In fact, it is beyond juicy because there is actually soup inside.  In terms of taste, they are well-seasoned and I could taste the natural sweetness of the pork.  If you order one of their combos, a Tea Egg is included.  They are bound to be overcooked because they sit in the warm braising liquid before it is served, yet as you can see in the picture, they are not that overcooked.  Flavours do penetrate nicely into the egg.

The next must order dish here is the Dry Noodles mixed with scallion oil.  This is even better with the Pork Chop braised in soy.  So aromatic and bright, the chewy noodles have just the right amount of oil that is infused with the flavour of scallions.  It is also well-seasoned where the balance between savoury and sweet is just right.  That pork chop is braised to the point it is falling apart.  It is glazed with a sweet and savoury sauce that has a bit of smokiness as well.  If you want it all, then you must order The Meeting of Three that includes Spicy Pork and also Pickled Vegetable with Sliced Pork.  Of the 2, I think the pickled veg & pork would be my choice.  Too bad it is cold, would like it hot.  However, this normally goes into a soup noodle which warms it up.

They have 2 wontons on the menu in the Secret Stuffing Large Wonton as well as the Tiger Prawn Small Wonton.  Both feature medium-thick wonton skins that are delicate with a bit of bounce texture.  I find that the large wontons are the shepherd purses with leafy greens and pork.  They are fairly dense and definitely eat like a meal.  These go well with the supplied chili oil at the table.  For me, the shrimp wonton are the right size and light texture that I enjoy.  I think the seasoning can be more aggressive, but at the same time, it allows us to use the smoky and mildly spicy chili oil condiment once again.  As for the soup, it is super light, yet comforting during these cold months.  In general, the menu at Shanghai Dumpling King is limited and the food is pretty straight forward.  Yet, that is what makes the place appealing.  They offer only a few things and they do it well for a reasonable price.

 

The Good:

- Those scallion noodles and pork chop

- The potstickers

- Reasonable pricing

 

The Bad:

- Not a lot of seats and it is tight in there

- Wontons are not bad, but not as good at the other dishes

Dumpling King (City Square)

For one reason or another, I've had my fair share of food from the City Square food court over the years.  There isn't a huge selection of eats, but most of the usual assortment of stalls are represented including a Bubble Waffle Cafe and A&W.  I've tried most of the spots and they are more or less acceptable.  This time around, I decided to deviate from the regular and test out Dumpling King.  This is one of the least busy stalls in the food court despite being one of the best values.  Everything is under $8.00, with the Xiao Long Bao coming in at $6.00.  I went for all 3 of their menu items to see whether they were good or not.

I started with the Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Soup Dumplings) and they were gigantic.  Easily 1/2 size bigger or more than the typical version. Unfortunately, these were not made-to-order, rather, already in a takeout container ready to go.  This might've had some effect on the top twirl of the dumpling skin as it was rather chewy and dense.  The rest was fairly thin and pliable.  Inside, the fatty pork was tender and juicy.  There was a considerable amount of soup, but it was greasy.  I could taste some sweetness and a touch of shaoxing wine.  It needed a bit more ginger in my opinion.  I really wished these were made-fresh and that the filling wasn't so fatty.

The Steamed Pork Dumplings had the same fatty pork filling and a considerable amount of soup too.  Predictably, it was equally greasy.  I guess using the same filling would be easier than making a different one for each dumpling.  As for the dumpling skin, it was decently thin and elastic for the centre portion of the dumpling.  Yet the pleats were hard and chewy.  This was possibly due to the fact that these were not made-to-order as well.

Lastly, I gave their Wonton Soup a shot as well.  The soup itself was quite pleasant being lightly salty and sweet.  There was some background seaweed flavour going on.  I wasn't a fan of the wontons as the pork filling was gritty and chewy.  This made each wonton dense and not pleasant in my opinion.  In general, the stuff at Dumpling King was so-so and not something I would go back for.  Maybe it has something to do with them not being made-to-order.  Considering the lack of staff, I can understand why they don't do this.  But I feel it compromises the quality of the product so negatively, it makes Dumpling King not relevant compared to some of the better food court XLB spots like R&H and Shanghai Dim Sum House.  Until they figure out a way to do that, it just can't compete.

The Good:
- Large dumplings with lots of soup
- Cheap
- It is ready right away (which is also a negative)

The Bad:
- Not made-to-order
- Parts of the XLBs and Steamed Dumplings are dense and chewy

 

Dough Zone

After returning from Vegas, I spent all of one day back home before heading down to Portland once again.  Yep, I was just there in November, but was so happy with the eats we had, I was itching to return.  So I took the fam this time and had some eats along the way that I didn't even take pictures of!  I know, the horror!  But once in Portland, I was staying in Downtown near the river.  Since I was pretty tired from driving, we ended up just walking 2 blocks to the nearby Dough Zone.  If this name seems familiar, yes, it is the same chain that started in Bellevue, WA!

One things for sure is that this location is nicest of bunch, being the former high-end location of Lucier.  We did endure a short wait as it was a Friday night.  Since the portions aren't big here, we went ahead and ordered many items including the Five Spice Beef Shank.  Sliced razor-thin, the meat was easy to eat and really tender.  Loved the gelatinous quality of the meat and also the impactful braising liquid that had a nice star anise hit.  The same sliced beef shank appeared in the Beef Pancake Roll, which made it good in that respect.  As for the green onion pancake portion, it was quite flaky and light despite looking thick.  Not sure if I enjoyed all that lettuce in the roll though.

We got the Sweet & Sour Cucumber just so we had some veggies (I know that is a stretch).  They were crunchy and marinated enough so there was a tang without being too acidic.  The spice was actually quite mild. up the ante with the veggies, we got the Kale with Sesame Dressing just for good measure.  This was actually the biggest portion of anything we had ordered.  A bit ironic, but welcomed nonetheless because it not only gave us more leafy greens, it was pretty delicious too.  In addition to the nuttiness of the sesame and the sweetness added to the dressing, we also got hits of garlic and the crunch from the peanuts.  Since the kale was lightly blanched, it was still crisp, but wilted enough so it was tender.

Off to the Xiao Long Bao, we had both the Berkshire-Duroc Pork Soup Dumplings as well as the Pork & Crab Soup Dumplings.  We universally liked the pork dumplings more than the one with crab.  We felt that the crab gave the dumplings too much brininess that obscured the natural sweetness of the fatty pork.  The pork filling was moist and tender while the soup was sweet.  I found the top twirl of the dumpling skin to be fairly firm, but the rest was thin and delicate.

We also got the Pan-Fried Berkshire-Duroc Pork Buns which were really good.  Often, the layer of bun can be overly thick and doughy, but this one had a thin bun that was fluffy and light.  The airiness of the bun allowed for the pork filling to be front and center.  Not unlike the XLBs, the filling was moist and juicy.  In fact, there was soup to be found, just like the XLBs.  To get all of the menu, we got the Pan-Fried Dumplings (Potstickers) for good measure.  These featured a medium-thick skin while the pork filling was pretty much on par with the other dumplings.  The bottom was fried up crispy with a noticeable skirt.

For our noodle selection, we ordered both the Dan Dan Mein and the Spicy Beef Noodle.  These bowls were quite small and not enough to share.  However, I really didn't want to share the dan dan noodles because they were really good.  The noodles were al dente and dressed with a nutty and spicy sauce.  As for the beef noodles, the soup was quite mild.  The noodles were chewy and the beef was tender, albeit in small pieces.

For myself, I wanted to try the Berkshire-Duroc Pork Wontons in Chili Sauce.  Well these were decent with tender wontons that were soaked in a mildly-spicy sauce that was smoky with elements of saltiness and vinegariness.  Overall, the food at Dough Zone was as expected (I've been to various locations many times).  Most dishes were decent and some were quite good.  However, the portions were rather small.  Loved the waterfront location for this one in Portland.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Swank location

- Good XLBs

The Bad:

- Small portions

Kang's Kitchen

Awhile back, I had visited Nadri tucked away in a deserted food court beside Hannam Market on the Burnaby side of North Road.  I was completely shocked at the excellent homemade comfort food they served.  Now they have expanded by opening up Kang's Kitchen on the Coquitlam side of North Road right beside H-Mart.  There is a theme here...  Anyways, we were invited to try the place out on a busy Sunday.

So the first dish to arrive was their Clam Kalguksoo.  This arrived steaming hot (as pictured) with a bevy of hand-pulled noodles.  These noodles were al dente with good elasticity.  The broth was mild, yet still flavourful with a hint of brininess from the clams.  I could've used more clam flavour, but then they would've needed to add more of clams and it would no longer be $13.99!  About those clams, they were buttery and cooked perfectly.

For good measure, we also got the Beef Rib Kalguksoo that curiously came with only one rib despite the picture showing two.  Maybe an error?  Whatever the case, it was just as good as the clam version with the same chewy hand-pulled noodles.  The broth was quite similar to the previous dish but maybe, just maybe a bit more meatiness.  The beef rib was delicious though being tender and fatty.

Next, we had 2 hotplates including the Spicy Squid & Pork Belly.  This was a pretty large portion with lots of ingredients.  The sliced pork belly was fried up so that it was firm, but still tender.  I particularly liked the squid, especially the tentacles.  They had an appealing chewiness that gave way to an ultimately tender texture.  Lots of flavour here, but only a bit of spice.  Balanced sweetness too.

The next skillet was the Cheese Bul-Dak featuring onions, chicken and cheese.  This was plenty hearty and zesty.  The ample amount of chicken was succulent while the spice and sweetness of the sauce helped provide impact.  Let's not forget the rice cakes nestled within.  They were soft with a nice chew.  They also soaked up some of the flavours of the sauce.  Finally, we couldn't forget about the stringy cheese on top.

We decided to go classic with the next dish in the Seafood Pancake.  This is quite the staple in many Korean restaurants, but the difference here was both the execution and amount of seafood.  As you can see, the pancake was the beneficiary of a hard sear hence being crunchy and nutty on the outside.  Inside, it was fluffy and loaded with seafood and only a balanced amount of green onion.

Continuing on with defaultish dishes, we had the Dolset Bibimbap.  As you can see, they did not skimp on the ingredients that included carrot, shiitake, sprouts, spinach, daikon, beef, egg yolk and nori.  When mixed together, I swear there was more ingredients than rice.  The rice itself was just wet enough so it could crisp up on the sides of the hot stone bowl (remember to smush it against the sides!).

Lastly and possibly my favourite dish of the meal, we had the Chicken Tangsooyuk.  These massive pieces of deep-fried chicken thighs were super juicy.  Moreover, the starch coating on the outside was super crispy and light.  Unlike some other versions, it wasn't overly greasy.  The side of sweet & sour was the right viscosity (to coat each piece) and balanced.  In the end, we all agreed that the food at Kang's was top-notch served in large portions at reasonable prices.  We especially enjoyed the hand-pulled noodles.

*This post features complimentary dishes

The Good:

- Excellent hand-pulled noodles

- Large portions

- Delicious

The Bad:

- That parking lot...

- Table legs are very close to the seats

Dong Tai Xiang Shanghai Dim Sum

I'm sure this isn't a revelation to most people, but the increasing number of Mainland Chinese restaurant chains popping up all over the GVRD is becoming a regular occurrence.  Many of them involve a hot pot or something like that while others focus on Northern Chinese cuisine.  One spot that hasn't received much attention is Dong Tai Xiang Shanghai Dim Sum.  With locations in Shanghai and Macau, it specializes in pan-fried steamed dumplings rather than the usual Xiao Long Bao.  I paid a couple of visits to the place recently and this post is an amalgamation of both.

In addition to not featuring XLBs on their menu, the selection in general is pretty limited.  Their main focus is on their dumplings, wontons and noodles with a few side dishes.  I decided to go with the Shanghai-style Sauce Stirred Noodle with a side of Brasied Spareribs (looked more like a pork chop).  Topped with 2 pieces of Shanghainese bak choy, the noodles were appealingly chewy with just enough sauce for flavour.  It could've been more stronger tasting in my opinion, but it was still good being salty and sweet.  I really didn't like the pork chop as it was too soft from the braise and completely drenched in oil.  On the revisit, we had the Noodle Soup with Shanghai-style Sweet & Sour Pork Rib.  We found the soup to be fairly bland yet clean at the same time.  The noodles were a touch overdone which made this bowl fairly average at best.  Similar to the previous side dish, the spareribs were super greasy and the "sauce" was basically oil.  Not good.

Onto the wontons, on my initial visit, I decided to try the Fresh Shrimp & Meat Wonton Soup.  Similar to Cantonese-style wontons, this featured a delicate wrapper with pork and shrimp filling.  I thought these were actually quite good except that the wrapper was overdone and soggy.  The filling was meaty with a bounce and the shrimp had a snap.  Broth was mild, but I liked the julienned egg.  It provided a bit of umaminess and texture.  Now this was good, but the Shanghai-style Pork & Vegetable Wonton Soup was not.  Obviously this was a different style, but the thicker wrapper was far too dense and chewy.  These larger wontons ate heavy despite the tender meat centre.  Once again, the soup was lightly sweet and mild-tasting, but then again, that was the intention too.

Some of the other side dishes we tried included Sauce Egg, Deep Fried Shanghai Steamed Gluten and Braised Wheat Gluten & Dried Mushroom.  Unlike the meat side dishes, these were far less greasier (makes sense as there was no rendered fat from the meats).  Of the 3, I liked the deep fried steamed gluten as it had a good rebound texture in addition to be delicate.  I also enjoyed how it was balanced between salty and sweet.  As for the braised wheat gluten, it was too soft where the classic chewiness was not present.  Furthermore, the pieces could've been larger as they were too tiny.  This dish was also far too wet as there was a lot of residual sauce on the bottom.  It was also too sweet in my opinion.  Lastly, the sauce egg was pretty typical being overdone due to the being in the braising liquid after being fully cooked.  Flavours were not overly strong but enough savouriness for effect.

While looking at the menu, we thought the picture of the Spring Rolls looked appetizing, so we went by that and ordered it.  They were indeed golden and crunchy, but also very greasy.  Furthermore, the vegetable filling was very mealy and wet.  There was probably too much cabbage that had not been properly prepared (ie. not salted and then residual moisture squeezed out of it). Since the Pan-Fried Dumplings were made-to-order, they arrived last.  This was worth the wait as these dumplings were the best dish by far.  Sporting a thin layer of soft bun, the bottoms were fried up aggressively crispy.  Inside, the meat was tender, bouncy and naturally sweet.  We tried both the regular pork dumplings as well as the shrimp and pork.  I didn't think the shrimp was worth the extra costs as the regular ones were good already.  Overall, I thought the food at DTXSDS as average at best.  However, their pan-fried buns made up for everything else.

The Good:
- Those pan-fried buns
- Service was pretty good
- Low-key dining room

The Bad:
- Other dishes were average
- Expensive