The Lodge Steakhouse

Did you know, one of the least known steakhouses in the GVRD is located in a facility that hosts both an ice and curling rink?  Yah, that in itself would make it a bit obscure.  To top it off, it is found in the Brookswood in Langley.  For those who live in the area or nearby, The Lodge Steakhouse might be actually familiar.  However, to everyone that doesn't live there, they never know what the heck I'm talking about when I rave about the place.  I've blogged about the place before and have been back many times after that.  After my latest visit, I decided to combine 2 dinners into one post.

I normally do not order a lot of appies because their steak and main dishes are large and include sides.  I did end up trying their Calamari though and the best way to describe them was "fine".  They were uniformly crispy and the the squid itself was tender with a slight chew.  Batter was a bit bland though and the light drizzle of yuzu sambal aioli was not enough to flavour the dish.  It was tasty though with a tangy spice.  I think the solution would be to ask for it be served on the side.

We always get the ribeye here since it is always prepared right and it is reasonably-priced.  Well for our most current visit, they replaced that with a 14oz PEI Ribeye for $85.00.  I guess the 12oz for $56.00 is long gone...  However, I felt the PEI ribeye was worth it as the meat was tender with an appealing meatiness.  The steak was charred and prepared a perfect medium-rare.  This was served with vibrant crunchy veggies and creamy mashed potatoes.  We added the Peppercorn Sauce on the side for $3.50.  It was creamy, salty enough and slightly peppery.

For the previous visit, we got the Lobster Flambee prepared tableside.  This was seared in brandy along with white wine, cream, garlic and herbs.  The lobster was fresh and cooked to perfection maintaining its moisture and being at its bouncy best.  The natural brininess was well-accented by the creamy sauce that was aromatic with a touch of brandy.

Back to the current visit, we tried their Maple Bacon Scallops, also prepared tableside (and flambeed).  Despite being seared and prepared properly, the scallops themselves were the reformed variety.  No, these scallops didn't go to the big house and come out for the better.  Rather, these were a selection of smaller scallops formed into perfectly and uniformly-shaped "scallops".  Personally, I'm not a fan of these and wished the menu would've indicated this.  With that being said, they did taste great though with a smoky and salty sweetness.

Although the Lodge Bacon Cheddar Burger is one of the least expensive items on the menu, don't sleep on it.  Sporting a well-charred fresh beef patty with all the produce and charred onion relish on brioche, this ate really well.  There was a good combination of smokiness, meatiness, saltiness and fresh crunch from the veggies.  On the side, we got the Truffle Fries and they were crispy and nicely seasoned.

We also had the Chicken & Gnocchi sporting a blackened chicken breast.  As the picture illustrates, the chicken was nicely seared but not truly blackened.  Despite that, it had a smokiness and earthiness.  Chicken was tender and not dry.  Underneath, the large gnocchi were pillowy soft and light.  It sat in a creamy sauce that was not overly heavy with hits of herbs.  Some fresh ricotta helped add extra creaminess.

One of our favourite dishes at The Lodge is the Brown Butter Sablefish.  We had this dish on both visits and the first time was definitely better than the second.  For some reason or another, the flakes of salt that usually finishes the dish was either missing or there wasn't enough of it.  Hence, the dish ate a bit too mild.  However, the sablefish was still excellent being buttery and flaky.  We actually had to ask for more brown butter since you can see that the plate was lacking it.  That totally makes the dish as it provides a aromatic nuttiness and saltiness.

As for sides, we got the Creamed Corn and the Scalloped Potatoes.   Either I'm dreaming things up or they changed the recipe for the creamed corn.  I found it was still sweet and lightly creamy, but we found chunks of garlic in it that made it a bit different in texture and taste.  Still decent though.  As for the scalloped potatoes, it was more like a potato pavé in my opinion.  Definitely could see the layers of potato with butter and cream in between.  Pretty decent if not a bit dense.

Had 2 different desserts for the both visits with the Warm Brownie coming up first.  This featured a soft and chewy brownie with salted caramel chocolate ice cream on top.  Sure, a pretty simple dessert, but a well-prepared one at that.  The brownie was rich, but not incredibly dense.  Lots of chocolate flavour which was enhanced by the salted caramel.

The best of the 2 desserts was definitely the Salted Caramel Cold Brew Bar.  Yes, we found the flakes of salt here and it definitely elevated the flavours of the coffee (and coffee crisp).  Some dulce de leche added some creamy sweetness.  Really balanced dessert and we dusted this off quite quickly.  Overall, these 2 visits further reinforces my belief that The Lodge is a sneaky well-priced steakhouse hidden in an ice rink in Langley.  If you are in the area, go check it out!

The Good:

- Well-priced for what you get

- Excellent service everytime

- Overall solid eats

The Bad:

- Um, those scallops were "reformed", need to say that on the menu

- Too bad they got rid of the $56.00 ribeye, but things are expensive these days... 

Lee Garden (Dim Sum)

I haven't been back to the Kingsway location of Lee Garden for quite some time.  We've hit up the Coquitlam spot but once again, the Kingsway location was out-of-sight and out-of-mind.  Finally, we decided to meet up with some friends for Dim Sum.  As usual, their parking lot got pretty packed, so we ended up parking on the street.  If you really want a parking spot, better make a reservation right when it opens at 9:00am.  On that note, reservations will not get you in right away when it gets busy at around 11:30am.   Best to go early or later.

We began with the BBQ Pork Pastries served as a trio.  These were a bit pastry heavy with only a modest amount of BBQ pork.  Pork was lean though and the sauce was pretty balanced between sweet and savoury.  Flaky, but slightly doughy, the pastry had an on point exterior, but got progressively denser inside.  I would say this was an average version of the dish.

I thought the Siu Mai was a bit hit and miss.  I thought these were medium-sized compared to many other places.  The pork itself was chewy and didn't have the rebound texture I was looking for.   Hence they ate a bit dense. There was plenty of shrimp which had a sweet snap though and the seasoning was just right.   I liked how they put the tobiko on after they had finished cooking.

On the other hand, the Ha Gau were textbook.  Translucent, fairly thin and having appealing elasticity, the dumpling skin was great.  It also helped that these were streamed just enough so that everything was cooked, but not overdone with excess moisture.  Hence, the wrapper did not tear.  Inside, the shrimp filling had a buttery snap and tasted great with sweetness.

Loaded with cilantro, the Beef Meatballs had the desired texture.  They were bouncy and airy with mild seasoning.  That didn't really matter as the dominant flavour was cilantro.  I would say that a bit less would have balanced things out.  Small detail, but I loved the bean curd skin at the bottom of the plate.  It helped keep the meatballs from sticking, but I also enjoyed the texture.

Here we are with the Steamed Honeycomb Tripe & Tendon, one of my most favourite dishes not only for Dim Sum, but of all time.  Yah really, I love the texture when the dish is done right.  The one here was absolutely prepared properly.  Each strip of tripe was a of a good size and had that desired tender texture with just a bit of chew.  It had been stewed enough prior to the steaming and it took on all of the good sweet, savoury and garlicky elements.  Tendons were equally tender, but still had texture, rather than melting away.

Another favourite of mine is the Steamed Chicken Feet.  These are deep-fried, then braised and finally steamed.  Once again, another solid dish as the texture was on point.  The skin, fat and cartilage were buttery and soft while not being mushy.  All of the chicken feet were intact and everything came off the bone easily.  Flavours were similar to the tripe except with a bit more saltiness.

Okay, usually I break one of the BBQ Pork Buns apart so we can see the filling in the picture.  I didn't do so here, so you'll just have to trust me that the filling was sufficient and full of the same BBQ pork as found in the pastries.  The bun portion was a little more dense than some of the other versions I've had lately.  However, at the same time, it was still fluffy and soft.

Another favourite dish of mine is the XO Daikon Radish Cake.  For this one here, I thought they did a good job.  Although not fried enough to create a uniformly crispy exterior, there was still browning where the aromatics were great.  There was a bit of crispiness giving way to a soft pillowy interior.  I thought that the briny spice of the XO sauce was a little light and this definitely could've used more of it.

Normally, you'd find me ordering some pea shoots or gai lan, but since they were featuring Water Spinach stir-fried with fermented tofu, I was changing it up!  The wok-fry on the water spinach was good as it was cooked enough, but still remained crunchy.  I would've liked a bit more fermented tofu, but it was still sufficient to provide a funky saltiness to the dish.  On that note, more garlic would've been nice too.

I don't often order the Deep-Fried Chicken Knees, partly because it isn't offered on all Dim Sum menus.  They had it here and I was pretty glad I ordered it.  As you can see from the picture above, those pieces were large and meaty.  Hence, we weren't only eating cartilage, there was juicy meat all around.  They were lightly crispy with an impactful salty peppery seasoning.

For our Rice Noodle Roll, we opted for the beef.  As you can see in the picture, the rice noodle was a little on the stiffer side, however, it was quite thin.  Hence, it was soft enough that it was pliable.  It ate better than it looked.  Inside, the beef filling was tender and airy much like the beef meatballs.  Also like the beef meatballs, there was a good amount of cilantro, which was the dominant flavour. 

We went for three desserts this time around including the classic Baked Egg & Milk Tarts.  Served in a set of three, these were uniformly almost exact in their appearance.  We found the pastry to be flaky and buttery with no undercooked portions.  The egg yolk custard was silky and light while being only moderately sweet.  Overall a very good egg tart!

A surprisingly excellent dessert was the Deep Fried Crispy Coconut Milk Roll.  Sure, these were a touch greasy, but it didn't take away from the eating enjoyment we had.  Super light and crispy, the deep fried shells were aromatic and sweet.  Inside, we found thickened milk that was also aromatic and sweet.  It helped provide some moisture to balance out the crispy shells.  Super tasty, would order again!

Finally, we had another classic in the Steamed Sponge Cake.  Loved the use of brown sugar which made the smell and taste deeply rich and almost toffee-like.  The cake itself was airy and soft which made things very easy to eat.  Really nice end to a generally solid Dim Sum meal.  Sure, some things could've been better, but with all things considered, we had no complaints about the food or service.  I can see why the place remains popular and hence, extremely busy.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- We had friendly service
- Even though it is busy, seating isn't overly cramped

The Bad:
- Some dishes could've used a few tweaks
- When you want to dine here after 11:30am, a reservation might not even help you

New Mandarin (Dim Sum Peking Duck)

For awhile there, I was visiting New Mandarin for dinner and dim sum regularly.  However, with me being out-of-town frequently and also Viv breaking her ankle, some things just got lost in the shuffle.  Well, we would make a return to New Mandarin for dim sum and to try out their Beijing Duck special.  Yes, most people don't order that for Dim Sum, but for only $59.98 for one course, that can be considered a deal!

Of course we had to get some Dim Sum in addition to the Beijing Duck.  The first dish to hit the table was the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings with Scallop.  These were light and crispy on the outside while not being overly greasy.  Soft and fluffy, the mashed taro encased the usual ground pork filling.  It was moist and was mixed with a starch-thickened sauce.  Since the top was open due to the scallop, more oil seeped into the taro.

Since we ordered over $100.00 worth of dishes, we were presented with the bonus dish of BBQ Pork.  Since this was the kurobuta variety, it was plenty fatty and hence juicy.   It wasn't flabby though as there was just enough fat to make things rather bouncy and gelatinous.  Meat was tender an moist.  Really enjoyed the sweet honey-glazed bark.

As you can see in the picture above, the Beijing Duck was carved with crispy skin only and also breast meat with skin attached.  This way, you could take your pick as to wrapping it with either option.  Alternatively, you could merely eat the breast meat on its own.  The duck was quite good with crispy skin that wasn't fatty while the breast meat was tender and flavourful.

For another $15.00, you could add another course in the Duck Lettuce Wrap.  Really good value in my books because that would be $65.00 for 2 courses!  This was also good with crunchy veggies and plenty of moist duck meat.  Seasoning was a touch on the saltier side, but the hoisin helped balance it with sweetness.  I love how the iceberg lettuce was in big pieces (can wrap better) and was not wet.

We got back to the Dim Sum with the Truffle Siu Mai.  These were large while stuffed full of large shrimp and pork.  The dumpling was uniformly bouncy and almost juicy.  Natural sweetness from the pork and shrimp were present while the seasoning was just enough for impact.  Truffle sauce was not distributed evenly, so 2 pieces were more truffly than the other two.

Of course, I must talk about the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings).  As you can see, the dumpling skin on these was translucent and fairly thin.  There was a slight chew to them, but they had good elasticity.  I liked how they didn't fall apart when I picked them up.  Inside, the shrimp filling was buttery and moist with an appealing snap.  Proper seasoning on them too.

Other than tripe, the Steamed Bean Curd Skin Rolls are my favourite Dim Sum item.  With an aggressive fry on the bean curd skin, it ensured a chewier texture (which was good).  Inside, the pork filling was moist and had that requisite bouncy texture.  Not much starch-thickened sauce in this one, so the bean curd skin did eat more dry.  I didn't mind it, but others might.

Even though my kids were present for this meal, we still got the Shrimp Spring Rolls with Garlic (we like them too!).  These were a bit small, but at least we had 4 of them to an order.  They were crispy and just a touch greasy but that didn't make of break this dish.  Inside, the shrimp filling was buttery and moist with that desired bounciness.  Well-seasoned too with hits of garlickiness.

Even though there isn't a whole lot of food with the Steamed Chicken Feet, I love ordering it nonetheless.  These were good with soft deep-fried skin that had a bite still.  Underneath, the cartilage and fat were soft and ate easily.  It wasn't too soft where things were melting away either.  In terms of seasoning, it was plenty sweet, savoury and garlicky.

One of their more unique items is the Hot & Sour Soup Dumplings.  They are somewhat similar to the ones found at Mott32.  Usually, these are on point, but this time around, there was a lack of soup.  Too bad really, as the dumpling skin was relatively thin and great elasticity.  Also, the pork filling was tender with a slight rebound.  The small amount of soup was classic hot and sour with tang and some spice.

One of Viv's favourite Dim Sum dishes is the Stuffed Eggplant.  So yes, I ordered it!  It was quite full of shrimp mousse, to the point where there was more than eggplant.  Texturally, the mousse was not overly dense, yet not too airy either.  It had a light rebound while being a good balance of savoury and sweet.  The eggplant itself was tender without being mushy.  We would've liked to see a saltier black bean sauce though.

We always prefer the Baked BBQ Pork Pastries over the BBQ pork buns and hence, we ordered our favourite.  The pastry was generally flaky and buttery (mostly likely lardy), especially at the top.  However, the sides were a touch gummy with less flakiness.  Inside, the BBQ pork was mostly lean and enveloped in a sweet glaze.   

One item I've never had before at New Mandarin is the Seafood & Chinese Yam Dumpling.  These featured a translucent skin that was appealingly chewy with great elasticity.  Inside, the pieces of seafood were cooked just right and there was a some greens in it for brightness.  I thought these were a good alternative (or addition) to the ha gau if you one felt they wanted something different.

Moving onto 2 Rice Noodle Rolls, we had both the BBQ Pork and Prawn.  Both were quite large and featured buttery soft rice noodle sheets.  With that in mind, there was still some elasticity, so they didn't break upon contact.  Lean and plentiful, the BBQ pork was really noticeable in every bite.  That created a meatiness to go with the soft sheets of noodle.  Same with the prawns, as you can see above, there was much more prawns (with a buttery snap) than noodle.

In a pretty dark shade of brown, the Beef Meatballs looked to be heavy with the dark soy.  In terms of texture, these were a bit firmer than most other versions I've had lately.  Hence, it was much more meaty than being airy or fluffy.  With a good amount of greens mixed in, there was a herbaceous brightness to the meatball.  This came in a set of four rather than the usual three everywhere else.

One of my favourite desserts at New Mandarin at their Deep Fried Purple Yam Chrysanthemum Balls.  These were every-so-lightly-crispy while the inside had a mochi-like quality to them.  However, the texture was almost fluffy and super airy.  With some chrysanthemum and syrup, the whole thing was floral and sweet.  With that being said, it wasn't crazy sweet either.

Finally, we had the classic Baked Egg Tarts served as a trio.  Yes, they were a little inconsistent, with one being darker, then medium dark and light.  However, they all ate flaky and buttery with discernible layers.  Egg filling was silky and mildly sweet.  Overall, this was another delicious Dim Sum service at New Mandarin.  It was extra bountiful since we went for the Beijing Duck.  Very well-priced as well.

 

The Good:

- Solid dim sum

- Service has improved over the years

- The Beijing Duck special

 

The Bad:

- With the place so busy, your meal might be a little rushed 

 

Prince Seafood Restaurant (King Crab)

As much as I love King Crab, I don't really eat it that often.  It is not only the cost that is prohibitive, it is also the fact that I wouldn't order it for my family as we couldn't eat all of it.  Plus, the kids don't really prefer it either.  That only leaves one option - to eat it with a bunch of friends.  Even with that, the last time we could round up enough people, that was like 10 years ago.  However, I finally decided enough was enough as only 3 of us decided to go for the king crab dinner at Prince for $368.00.  It is only a 7lb crab, but includes a choice of 2 other dishes.

First off, we were served the Steamed King Crab Legs with loads of minced garlic and scallions.  Since these were split down the middle (as it commonly done), the meat was easy to access and completely flavoured by the garlic topping.  They really picked out a plump crab for us as each leg was full of fluffy and sweet meat.  It had a slight rebound texture and the garlickiness really came through.  Definitely had some bad breath afterwards!

So we had the legs, now the next dish was the Crab Body Meat Tou Chou stir-fried with eggplant.  This reminded me a little of a fish hot pot where the seasoning was savoury and full of umami, especially from the green onions, red onions and ginger.  Deep-fried before the wok toss, the crab body meat was still fluffy and moist.  Ironically, the best part of the dish was actually the eggplant as it was flash-fried, maintaining its integrity while taking on the multitude of flavours.

One dish that was on our hit list was the Tea Smoked Chicken.  This had many elements similar to soy sauce chicken except with more depth and of course smokiness.  We found the dark meat to be tender and juicy while the white meat to be a bit drier.  It wasn't tough to chew though as it was still tender.  It just wasn't as succulent as some other similar chickens prepared the same way.  It could've been partially due to the use of free-range chicken as the meat can be a bit more chewy.

Don't laugh, but I have this love for Sweet & Sour Pork.  Heck, I don't even mind the North Americanized version of it too.  So whenever I get the chance, I will order it.   This particular dish was presented in a half-hollowed out pineapple.  As much as I appreciated the fresh pineapple and the balanced sauce (where there was just enough of it), the pork itself was squishy.  Normally, the sauce does soften the fried exterior of each piece, but this was downright mushy.  The meat was extremely tender being the fattier portions, but the texture was off-putting.

Of course we had to get our veggies and that we did with the Minced Pork with Baby Gai Lan with belacan (shrimp paste) served in a sizzling ceramic hot pot.  This was naturally briny and a bit funky, but that added considerable depth to the dish.  The gai lan was cooked through, but still crunchy and vibrant.  The fact it was served sizzling in a hot pot, it intensified the aromas and also kept things warm.

We finished the meal with the Stir-Fried Imitation Shark's Fin with egg and dried ham.  This was all about the texture as the crunch from the bean shoots and firm vermicelli had a great mouth-feel.  Add in the dried ham and there was some rich saltiness to the dish, without be salty (if that makes sense).  Overall, this was a decent king crab meal.  Sure, the crab was a bit smaller, but it worked for the amount of people we had.  The other dishes were solid, except for the Sweet & Sour Pork.  Service was also quite good.

The Good:

- Large portions

- Generally solid eats

- Service was great

The Bad:

- Sweet & Sour Pork was below average