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As mentioned in many of my recent Coquitlam posts, I've remarked that the food scene has really taken off, much like the many developments in and around Coquitlam Centre. For a place that once sported mainly chain restaurants, we now see a wide range of eats including many new Korean restaurants. In fact, we could've had more if Henderson Centre was not an empty mall. So it was by no surprise that we finally got a Tasting Plates event taking place in the heart of Coquitlam. I was invited to attend the event mostly because I live nearby, but personally it was interesting as I spent 8 years of my life living in Coquitlam!
We started off things at the registration point which happened to be the new location of Papparoti on Pinetree and Glen. I've been to the Vancouver spot a few times and this was very familiar to me. We were treated to a sampling of one half each of a Signature Original Bun coated with coffee caramel and a Coconut Rollie filled with fresh young coconut. As expected, the bun was light an airy while being flavoured by the mildly sweet topping. On the other hand, the rollie was much sweeter due to the coconut filling. Outside, the croissant pastry was crispy and shattered upon my first bite. I ended up selecting the Signature Karak Tea to go with my treats and it was lightly sweet. Viv went for the Ice Blended Signature Chocolate which was significantly sweeter.
From my previous visit to Kulinarya, I knew that we had to high-tail it there second. You see, their dining room is really small and even smaller if there is a reservation for the long table. This was the case and we were able to snag a table for 2 as we were there early. We were served a selection of items including Lumping Shanghai, BBQ Pork Skewer and Pancit Bihon. Hot and crunchy, the lumpia was filled with a well-spiced ground pork filling. The bbq pork was nicely charred and sweet, but unfortunately, it was rather cold. The best thing on the plate was the pancit which was neatly packaged in a mini-takeout container. Chewy and well-seasoned, the noodles were moist enough, but not greasy. There was a decent amount of meat and cabbage to balance out the dish.
Onto our 3rd stop, that happened to be the 2nd stop for most people, was the Seoul Food Truck stall in the Henderson Mall food court. This was a bottleneck since they prepare all of the food to order. It ended up taking quite awhile for our food, but it was well-worth it. We were treated to a generous serving of a K-Town Sandwich filled with Korean fried chicken nuggets. Viv opted for the red pepper sauce while I had garlic. Crispy and succulent, the chicken was beautifully cooked. Flavour-wise, I thought the garlic was super impactful with a sharp and sweet garlic hit. The red pepper was sweet and moderately spicy. We both also had a side of Rice Cakes which were in red pepper and cheese. These were some of the best rice cakes I've had in awhile. Texturally, they were crispy on the outside while being soft and chewy on the inside. There was an appealing sweet crunch as well.
After being stuck at behind a train crossing for 15 minutes, we finally made it out to Politos Latin Cafe. We were presented with 3 items including the mini-Pupusas made with a corn tortilla. I've had this before and this was the right thickness in my opinion. Unlike the ones I've had at other spots, this was not oil-soaked. Underneath, there was a cabbage slaw and a savory tomato sauce. Wrapped in a banana leaf, we had the Vigorón consisting of a cabbage salad made with curtido, yuca, and chicharrones. Love the combination of textures. Lastly, the Patacones “Tostones” were made with deep Fried plantain topped with assorted vegetables and seasoned meat. Nicely crunchy, this was also not greasy while sporting a meaty savouriness.
We left the bevvies to the end with our visit at Mariner Brewing. I didn't even know this place existed! This cozy spot on Barnet Hwy (even though the actual address is Lansdowne Drive) offers up a selection of bites to go with their beers on tap. My flight consisted of North East IPA (hoppy with a crisp bite), Main Sail Pale Ale (rich and nutty), Berry Cider (lightly sweet) and Night Sky (thick and sweet with hints of chocolate and coffee). Loved them all, especially the dark night sky due to the noted flavours. More complex than it appeared. This was a relaxing finish to a nice overview of unique eats out in Coquitlam. Personally, I enjoyed all of the stops (2 of which I've been to) and it is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg of the diverse dining in Coquitlam.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Variety of restaurants
- Sufficient amount of food (esp from the Seoul Truck)
- Distance between stops was reasonable
The Bad:
- Wait at Seoul Truck was excessive
- Limited tables at Kulinarya
Wow, has it been 5 years already? Whatever opinion you have about multi-course meals served at different locations, Tasting Plates offers up a unique experience and allows for discovery of hidden gems. I recently attended the 5th Anniversary edition which was in Downtown Vancouver. Viv and I decided to postpone the wine-tasting at Marquis (our first stop) until the end.
Being seasoned Tasting Plates attendees, we knew better than to fight the crowds at the first stop or even the closest stop (Tartine), we had a game plan. As mentioned, we skipped the wine, so we could nab one of the few tables at Saj & Co.. There, we were served a Pumpkin and Squash Flower atop hummus salad and served in a crunchy bread bowl. We asked from spicy and the puree did have quite the kick. It was balanced off nicely by the sweet and tart salad as well as the robust bread bowl. We finished with a Vegan Brownie that had the sweetness of dates and the bitterness from the orange rind.
From there, we then headed back towards Marquis, but past it and across the street to Tartine Bread and Pies where we were served a generous plate consisting of 3 pie slices. These included Salted Caramel Apple, Blackberry Apple and Dutch Apple. My favourite of the bunch was the Dutch Apple because of the sweet crumble topping that was firm and crunchy. It was a nice contrast to the soft and mildly sweet apples. The salted caramel featured more tart apples that were tender. Firm and slightly crisp, the crust was somewhat flaky and featured salt crystals. Lastly, the blackberry apple was lightly tart and sweet.
Down towards the water, we made our way to Ten Ten Tapas. We were served a plate consisting of Octopus Conserva, Mushrooms on Toast and Salmon Mi Cuit. The plethora of tender octopus was appealing and did have a slight kick from the red chilis, however, we felt there needed to be more acidity to bring the dish alive. As for the mushrooms on toast, they were Earthy, but the flavours would've been more activated if served warm. We thought the sliced fennel underneath helped keep the toast crispy while added some crunch. Lastly, the Salmon was soft and delicate while flavoured by the dill and pickled onions.
Over at Patron Tacos & Cantina, we were also presented with a trio of items including the Sopecito (homemade thick corn tortilla topped with beans, shredded chicken, lettuce, feta, sour cream and pico de gallo), Flautita (deep-fried corn tortilla filled with barba-coa and topped with green tomatillo, sour cream and feta) and Enchilada filled with shredded beef and topped with red sauce, sour cream and feta. Our favourite was the enchilada as it exhibited the most flavour due to the sauce and robustness from the tender beef.
At Meinhardt, we dined on 5 items (only 3 shown in the picture) including the peppery and flavourful Mushroom Leek Soup. It was thick and creamy with a hint of truffle oil and topped with crispy and bright leeks. Also on the plate was a Prosciutto & Brie Sandwich with fig crostini, arugula and aioli. This was pretty straightforward, but tasty with the usual salty, creamy and peppery notes to go with the sweetness of the figs. I found the Roasted Cauliflower & Chickepea Salad with tahini, lemon, parsley and red onion to be robust and "meaty" despite being meatless. For this Tasting Plates, there was more than enough food and then some. Nice mix of different dishes and types of cuisine.
*All food was complimentary*
"What? How come this restaurant is not one of the recommended stops on the Dumpling Trail in Richmond???". Ah yes, I've heard that once too many times in the last little while. You see, restaurants have to be actually participating in the Dumpling Trail in the first place. Hence the limited suggestions at the beginnng. They have since added more participants to list that is constantly growing. As a result, I went on another Dumpling Trail run-through with 3 different people (Amy, Jacqueline and Sharon) at 6 different spots.
Once again, we kicked things off with early morning Dim Sum at Vivacity where we made sure the Ha Gau (decided to use a different phonetic spelling) and Siu Mai were on the list. As clearly evidenced in the picture, the dumpling skin was thin and translucent. It was also appealingly chewy which gave way to whole shrimp that did its buttery snap thing while sporting natural sweetness accented by sesame oil. As much as the shrimp dumplings were good, the Siu Mai were even better in my opinion. The combination of whole chunks of bouncy pork mixed well with the bits of shrimp that were equally bouncy. Not overly dense, the dumpling was fairly light and natural-tasting.
When we think of dumplings for Dim Sum, we don't often include the Seafood Dumpling in Soup. This usually includes shark's fin (I personally have stopped eating it), but I didn't notice any in this one. I found the soup to be sweet and full-of-depth while easy on the salt. Sporting a tender wrapper, the pork and shrimp filling was on point with a considerable cilantro hit. Going with something completely different we had the Deep Fried Glutinous Dumpling. Sadly, this was not our favourite as the glutinous outer shell was too thick and not really all that crispy. On the other hand, the filling was really good with whole shrimp and lean ground pork.
We then moved onto our 2nd stop at Aberdeen Centre, specifically, Szechuan House in the food court. We ended up getting 4 items including the Spicy Wontons and Boiled Dumplings. In terms of overall flavour and impact, the spicy wontons were not lacking. The spicy and tongue-numbing chili oil-based sauce was definitely at the forefront. At the same time, it wasn't so spicy that we couldn't taste some saltiness to go with the background sweetness and a touch of tang. The wontons featured a fairly dry skin that was semi-thick. I found the filling to be a touch mealy where it lacked actual texture. The boiled dumplings were pretty good despite looking rather flat. I found the dumpling skin to be medium thickness, yet tender at the same time. The filling was surprisingly balanced despite the plethora of green onions. We just wished there was more of it.
After a quick stop for coffee (Amy wanted some), we headed over to Shibuyatei.The best course of action was to sample their dumplings in the Gyoza Combo featuring 2 each of Pork, Shrimp and Scallop. These featured a thin and chewy skin that was a touch dry. On the bottom, it was fairly well-seared, but it wasn't really that crispy. My favourite of the bunch was the pork as it was tender, moist and a bit meaty. It was mild-tasting though. I found the scallop to be sweet, but a little mushy as the meat was diced up pretty small. On the other hand, the shrimp had a meaty snap and was naturally sweet.
Now, we weren't only eating dumplings as we had ordered full meals so far. That was about to be taken to a new level at Dinesty as we got 11 dishes including an order each of the Xiao Long Bao and the Crab Xiao Long Bao. Unlike the last time I had these, the meat filling was less gritty while the soup was still on the saltier side. I thought the dumpling skin was fairly thin while being tender and a bit chewy at the top. The main difference between the two types of XLBs was that the crab and pork filling was sweeter with a background brininess. We also got the Taiwanese-style Potsickers which are longer and thinner than their Cantonese counterparts. These were fried up nicely on the bottom being golden brown and crispy. The dumpling skin was medium-thick where it was a touch on the chewier side. The moist filling was a mix of processed pork and green onion.
Waddling out of Dinesty, we dragged ourselves to a hidden gem in Shanghai Station in Empire Centre. Their Spicy Wontons are some of the best I've had in town and yes, we did get a few plates. Unlike some Cantonese restaurants which serve up actual wontons tossed in chili oil, the ones here are more like boiled dumplings. Hence, the dumpling skin was thicker while still buttery and tender. The filling was moist and meaty. The best part was the combination of peanut sauce and chili oil sauce. So smooth, spicy and flavourful. We also got their healthier-style Potstickers where they use less oil. It was exemplified in its presentation where the dumplings were not glistening with oil. Hence, the dumpling ate drier and the skin was chewier. That was not a bad thing as the tender and juicy filling balanced things out.
Our last stop was at Pepper Lunch, which to many would not be a place one would think of when looking for dumplings. However, their Gyozas are on point. These were seared up evenly rendering a crispy and appealingly golden brown underside. The rest of the dumpling skin was thin and al dente while the filling, whether it be beef or chicken, was tender and juicy. Personally, I loved the meatiness and more robust flavour of the beef more than the chicken. So there you have it, another group of participating restaurants along the Dumpling Trail in Richmond. More are being added and who knows, maybe there is another day of dumpling insanity is in my future?
Although the taco landscape of the GVRD has drastically improved over the past 10 years, there really aren't as many spots as I'd like to see. Interestingly, crossing the border over to Bellingham yields some pretty good tacos. I guess we really do have to run for the border? I digress. So when I looked at the lineup for the Taco Crawl (presented by Vanfoodster), it wasn't overly surprising to see some places "stretch" the definition of what a taco represents. No matter to me... Those who put too much effort and stress into being the "authenticity police" often lose out on good food.
In reality, the South Indian Dosa Taco (at Dosa Hut) was not really a taco at all. Call it a mini-dosa instead and everything is fine in the world. I found the lentil crepe to be on point being super thin and light. It was perfectly crispy where it held the ingredients in while not becoming soggy. We much preferred the chicken over the vegetarian for obvious reasons, but the flavours were definitely more impactful. There was a flavourful combination of spices including the usual cumin and curry. The chicken was really moist and tender. From there we made our way to Las Tortas where we were served both the Mexican Zucchini and Pulled Pork Taco. I found the pulled pork to be a bit dry and on the milder side. However, with the addition of the sauces, pickled onions and lime, things got more lively.
Again, the offering at TMix across the street loosely interpreted the definition of a taco. In reality, it was a Bubble Waffle with a scoop of house-made ice cream on top. We ended up with the Mango for one an Earl Grey for the other. Very eggy and soft, the waffle lacked the crispiness and chewiness we often look for in a traditional Taiwanese bubble waffle. However, with that being said, this one had its own charm being soft and fluffy. The real star of the show was the ice cream as the flavours were impactful. However, the ice cream itself could've been creamier. We headed into Downtown next and hit up Patron Tacos & Cantina where we got one each of the Cochinita (Pork Butt) and Nopales (Cactus) Taco. I really liked the cactus as it wasn't slimy and exhibited a nice texture (not mushy). The pork was okay, but not particularly flavourful. It was tender though.
The best taco we ate all night was from La Catrina. It was the Res en Cascabel or braised beef cooked in cascabel chili sauce. The meat filling could've done without any other condiment and it was flavourful and lightly spicy (albeit a bit saucy). The Papas Mexicanas (Potato) taco was more mild and had quite a bit of onion in it. It was soft though. It turned out that we saved the best for last, even though we didn't intentionally plan to do so. As mentioned, I don't really care about what is a taco, but for those who really wanted all 5 stops to be about authentic tacos, this might've thrown them for a loop.
*All food excluding beverages and gratuities were complimentary*
The dumpling. Something common to almost every culture with various fillings and prepared in many different ways. Some of the most iconic dumplings are of the Asian variety and hence, Tourism Richmond came up with an interesting concept. Take a concentrated area of restaurants in Central Richmond and create a self-guided tour where people can experience some of the best that the GVRD has to offer. To exemplify this, I was sponsored to give the Dumpling Trail a try with Sean, Nora and Diana.
We started early at 9:30am at Empire Seafood Restaurant with a host of dumplings including the standards - Haw Gow and Siu Mai. These actually arrived separately, but these are what every Dim Sum restaurant are judged by. I found the dumpling skin on the haw gow to be on the thicker side while being chewy as a result. Inside, the shrimp filling was on point with a buttery snap and a sweet essence. Exhibiting all of the desired attributes, the siu mai was the beneficiary of enough shiitake for both texture and flavour. The chunks of pork were a touch on the drier side, but still sported a nice rebound. Buttery and sweet, the snap of the shrimp added another layer of texture.
Normally, people often associate dumplings with something with an exterior "skin" of some sort. Hence, the Deep Fried Glutinous Dumplings and the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings are typically forgotten. Well, these were definitely memorable as they were completely on point. With a thin exterior layer, the glutinous dumplings were crunchy and not particularly heavy. Inside, there was a modest amount of well-seasoned pork and shiitake mushroom. As for the taro dumplings, there was just enough mashed taro on the outside without making things heavy. They were crispy while not being greasy. In addition to these items, we ate a few more dishes, but I'm only going to focus on the dumplings.
From Cantonese Dim Sum at Empire, we made the short jaunt over to Suhang for some Shanghainese Dim Sum. Similarly to the haw gow, it would be a tragedy if we didn't order the Xiao Long Bao. These were medium in size and filled with a good amount of soup. I found it be well-seasoned with a hint of sweetness. The meat filling was tender and moist while the dumpling skin was fairly thin except for the top twirl. Onto another favourite, we got the Pan-Fried Dumplings featuring a fluffy bun. Inside, the meat filling was succulent and juicy with a balanced amount of salt and sweetness. As evidenced in the picture, the bottom was nicely browned.
Completely the trifecta of dumplings, we had the Potstickers that were beautifully seared on the bottom. Hence, there was a contrast of textures from crunchy to chewy. The chewy part of the dumpling skin was a touch doughy, but not overly thick either. Again, the meat inside was tender, juicy and well-seasoned. I found it mostly meat with only a bit of veg.
Making our way over to Westminster Hwy across from the Public Market, we went with Korean in Samsoonie. We decided to try all of their dumplings including the Wontons in soup. I found the exterior skin to be a bit gummy, but the filling was moist and tasty with just enough greens. The soup itself was mild and slightly sweet. We tried all 3 versions of Mandu (Pan-Fried pictured) and I found the fried version to be the best with a crunchy skin giving way to succulent meat that sported just enough chives. The other 2 were a bit drier.
Walking across the parking lot, we found ourselves at Tsim Chai Noodle where we went for the a Wonton Noodle and a Siu Gau Soup. Tsim Chai is highly regarded as one of the best places to eat wontons. These were pretty good with chunks of shrimp that had a sweet snap, but this time, there was a bit too much soft mousse filler. We also found the soup to be on the sweeter side too. However, the thin wonton noodles were on point being chewy. I much preferred the Siu Gau as they were large and filled with crunchy shrimp, wood ear mushrooms and pork. In addition to the crunch of the sweet shrimp, the added texture of the wood ear mushroom was pleasing.
We then headed over to the Public Market to visit the Xi'an food stall. Usually, one would come for their fabulous hand-pulled noodles (specifically the lamb), but we were on the #dumplingtrail! So we got the Potstickers and Spicy Wontons. Featuring a well-seared and browned bottom, the potstickers were predictably crunchy. The rest of the dumpling sported a chewy, medium-thick skin. Inside, the meat was juicy, nicely seasoned and tender. As for the spicy wontons, they were drenched in a flavourful mixture of soy, chili oil and crushed peppercorns. Hence, there was a spice level that kept rising after the initial bite. I found the wonton skin to be tender and buttery while the amount of filling was rather meager.
This was supposed to be our last stop, but hey, we love to eat! Therefore, we traveled to the Lansdowne Mall food court and paid R&H a visit. There, we did another trifecta of dumplings including Xiao Long Bao, Boiled Dumplings and Potstickers. Like all of my other visits to R&H, their XLBs were pretty good, especially from a food court. Featuring a relatively thin dumpling skin (except for the dense top twirl), the XLB contained plenty of soup. I found it to be aggressively seasoned though. For me, the boiled dumplings are the real star of the show as they were plump with succulent and tender meat with just enough onion.
Equally juicy, the Potstickers were on the saltier side while the dumpling skin was medium-thick and nicely seared. Since we already had pork and chive mix in the boiled dumplings, we opted for the cabbage and pork filling for the potstickers. Hence, there was less of a brightness from the cabbage as opposed to the chives. So there you have it, our crazy version of the Dumpling Trail! I'm sure most of you won't go as nuts as we did (or maybe your might!), but we experienced a good selection of the very best dumplings in town. Generally inexpensive and totally walkable, this is a fun and filling way to spend an entire day in Richmond (without driving if you took the Canada Line).
*All food was complimentary*
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