Tanlu Grill

Cook-at-your-table Asian BBQ - we all seen it in one form or another in the Lower Mainland.  From the classic Korean BBQ to Japanese Yakiniku spots, there is no shortage of grilling your dinner restaurants.  However, most, if not all of these places feature propane-fuelled BBQ setups.  Nothing wrong with that, but on a recent visit to a charcoal grill in Richmond, I noticed that the intense head from the coals added more charring, caramelization and smokiness.  With that, I was excited to try out Tanlu Grill located in Central at Garden City also in Richmond.

Before we even ordered, we were presented with a selection of Banchan.  It included kimchi, fish cake, stewed potato, celery and pickled daikon.  We also found a green salad as well as romaine for wrapping the grilled meat.  The one item that was a bit different was the potatoes as it featured whole baby potatoes that were soft and coated with a sweet glaze.  They brought the flaming coals to our table and as you can see, it was ready for some grilling.  We appreciated that the exhaust was adjustable and really did a great job in preventing smoke from getting everywhere.

We ordered some meats to cook on the BBQ and the best of the bunch was the Royal Marinated Galbi.  Due to the intense heat from the coals, we had to keep a close eye on the meat as the sugars started to burn.  Once we got into a rhythm, the was completely caramelized and had an intense smokiness that created a flavour bomb of umami, meatiness and a sweet savouriness.  Moreover, the meat was super tender, yet still retained that classic short rib chew.

Going for another cut of beef, we chose the Sea Salt Marinated Beef Rib Fingers.  For those who don't know, this is the meat found in between the ribs.  Hence, they were rather fatty and are also meaty in texture.  When cooked on the charcoal grill, these seared up nicely due to the fat and hence, there was some smoky char.  There was enough marinade for the rib finger meat to stand on its own.  However, we had Tanlu House Dipping Trifecta at the table.  Also, we had bean paste, garlic and peppers to compliment the lettuce wrap.

One of the best values on the menu is the Pork Platter consisting of pork jowl, marinated pork shoulder, pork belly and pork sausage for $50.00.  The large slices of pork jowl were fatty and crisped up on the grill.  Despite not being marinated, the pork jowl was meaty and aromatic from the fat.  Pork belly was fatty, but rendered well on the grill and was delicious when wrapped in the romaine with the bean paste.  Due to the sugar content of the marinade, the pork shoulder had intense caramelization and smokiness.  It was also super tender and juicy.  As for the sausages, they had a nice snap while the meat was firm with a nice rebound texture.  They were sweet and full of umami.

We got some non-BBQ dishes to compliment our meal.  Served cold, the Beef Shank marinated in chili oil had a noted spiciness.  There was no shortage of thick slices of tender beef shank.  Normally, we would find thinner slices, but due to the robust nature of the chilis, the meat was able to stand up to the spice.  With slices of crunchy cucumber added to the mix, we had both texture and a refreshing bite to balance out the chilis.

Bubbling hot, the Dolset Bulgogi Bibimbap was plenty saucy.  As such, it didn't develop a socarrat (rice crust) despite the scorching hot stone bowl.  Despite that, the amount of sauce did not degrade the texture of the rice.  It was still chewy and was a good textural foil to the buttery soft beef.  With the sauce reducing in the hot bowl, it became intensely sweet with some balancing savouriness.  

When the plate of Japchae first arrived at our table, we were a little concerned with the excess moisture on the plate.  It may have been due to the ample mushrooms and spinach.  However, after a bit of time, most of the moisture was absorbed by the potato starch noodles and the dish wasn't any worse off.  The noodles were still al dente with a gelatinous chew while completely seasoned with an impactful sweetness.  Loved the crunch from the big pieces of woodear mushroom and the butteriness of the mushrooms.  Spinach was not overdone being still vibrant with an appealing colour.

At the end of our meal, we were presented with Marshmallows on skewers.  Yep, we were able to toast our marshmallows over the hot coals.  This was such a treat as it created a smoky and crispy crust that gave way to a melty and silky sweet centre.  Overall, we enjoyed out meal at Tanlu.  It cannot be overstated that the charcoal grill makes all the difference in the world.  The heat is more intense and it helps add depth through smokiness and caramelization.  Pro tip - do not over order on the meat as it is quite filling.  You can always order more as you go.

*Partial credit for this meal*

The Good:
- Charcoal makes a big difference in terms of smokiness and caramelization
- Good quality meats
- Excellent exhaust

The Bad:
- A bit too much moisture in the rice and noodle dishes 

 

Shinya Shokudō

As many times I've been in the Seattle/Bellevue area, I do not recall ever doing something late night.  That would include activities in addition to eats.  This was about to change as Jackie and I were checking out some Japanese Izakaya at Shinya Shokudō.  Located right in the heart of Bellevue, it is open late until 1:00pm and offers up a full menu of share plates and also an array of drinks.  

About those drinks, we had a few of them including the Chillchee, Osmanthus Breeze and Shinya Choco Cloud.  Definitely on the sweeter end of the cocktail spectrum with these, but at the same time, they didn't skimp with the alcohol.  Hence, it still packed quite a wallop.  I loved the Chillchee the most as I love lychee and that definitely came through.  I thought the Shinya Choco Cloud was more of a boozy milkshake.

We a great selection of chicken parts (mostly offal) in the Tori Horumon Combo.  We got 2 each of the cartilage, heart, upper heart, gizzard and liver.  This was more about textures than anything else.  There was the crunch from the cartilage, chewy bounciness of the hearts and gizzards while we had the creaminess of the liver.  They were lightly grilled where we had some smokiness.  I would've liked a bit more char on everything but the liver.

To compliment our first set of grilled skewers, we added the Seafood Combo consisting 2 each of Shrimp, Salmon, Hokkaido Scallops and Eel.  I thought the shrimp were perfect being bouncy and still juicy.  Although not looking like it, the salmon was fairly moist.  Couldn't say the same about the scallops as they were overdone.  Eel was perfectly buttery and smoky.

To get a taste of some appies without ordering every one of them, we opted for the Small Dish Set.  This featured Chicken Karaage, Tamagoyaki, Salmon Sashimi, Takoyaki, Wakame Salad and Hotate.  Nothing particularly amiss with this as things were pretty standard and serviceable.  I did think the salmon and hotate were texturally on point and tasted fresh.

On that note, it wasn't a surprise that the Chirashi Don was good since it featured the same salmon and scallop sashimi.  It also added salmon toro to add a rich butteriness to the bowl.  A big dollop of ikura provided pops of briny sweetness.  That same ikura was great with sweet and creamy Hokkaido uni in the Temaki.  The Foie Gras Temaki was rich and buttery but nicely tempered by the chewy sushi rice.

Honestly, we weren't going to order the Spicy Vegan Ramen, but it came highly-recommended.  Well, I do have to say it was pretty darn hot!  Yah, it was spicy and kept my tongue busy for awhile.  Now I like spice, so it didn't bother me.  That was probably the best part because there was not meat for me.  LOL.  Noodles were al dente while bamboo shoots, corn and tofu were there to compliment.

Not that we didn't have enough food already, but we also had the Curry Katsu Omurice.  This was a fairly large dish with plenty of rice underneath a thin blanket of egg.  I would've liked it less cooked but it worked for this application as there was plenty of moisture from the earthy and sweet curry.  The pork cutlet on top was lean, but still tender with a crispy panko crust.

One of the best deals we found on the menu was the Sukiyaki for $20.00.  Served in a small hot pot on a butane burner, we found sliced beef roll with vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and shrimp.  We added udon for an extra charge.  Nothing complex about this dish, but it was a lot of food cooked in a rich soy dashi broth.  Beef was buttery tender while the shrimp had a meaty snap texture.

We had one more rice dish in the Unagi Don, that featured 2 large pieces of soft and buttery glazed unagi.  Rice was chewy and dry enough to withstand the moisture from the eel.  Again, for $21.00, this wasn't bad for so much unagi.  Overall, our experience at Shinya Shokudō was good considering the portions sizes and reasonable pricing.  I wouldn't classify it as a classic Izakaya as the menu trends more towards bigger dishes and Kushiyaki.  But it is good for what it is and is open until 1:00am to satisfy your late night cravings.

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

The Good:

- Ample portions

- Inexpensive

- Decent eats

The Bad:

- Not really an Izakaya in the authentic sense, but it is good for what it is

- More aggressive char on some of the skewers

Bag O' Crab (Federal Way)

The last time we visited Bag O' Crab, it was at the Kent location.  It was a pretty good experience with fresh seafood and impactfully spicy sauces.  I also found that the pricing for the set combos to be reasonable considering all that was included.  This time around, we travelled a bit further south to the Federal Way store located in a large strip mall.  As much as they are primarily a seafood boil restaurant, they have some other items to satisfy those who do not want to partake in the messy affair.

Before we got to the combos, we had a few things to start.  Unlike last time, we didn't go for the chowder and opted for the Gumbo instead.  Great decision as we enjoyed this much more.  It was thick and fairly flavourful.  There was spice from the sausage and plenty of impact from the peppers.  Naturally, it didn't compare to the stuff I've had in Louisiana, but it was fine for what it was.  We got the Cajun Fries as well and these were good.  Fries were plenty crispy with soft fluffy potato inside.  It was dusted with seasoned salt where it was a bit spicy, somewhat sweet and definitely savoury.

We got two orders of wings including the Mango Habanero and Lemon Pepper.  These were decently-sized flats with the drummettes being huge.   We much preferred the Mango Habanero as they featured barely any coating while the skin was properly rendered.  They were still slightly crispy despite the dousing of sauce.  It was a good mix of sweet and spicy where the spice could be considered medium.  As for the Lemon Pepper, the flavour was a bit muted and the coating a touch too thick.  The wings were crunchy though and the meat inside was plenty juicy.

Onto the combos, we had Combo #1 and chose 1lb mussels and 1lb head-on shrimp (you have a choice of 2 seafood options from mussels, clams, head-on shrimp and head-off shrimp).  Whatever we would've chosen, the combo included 2 pieces of corn, 2 potatoes and 4 slices of sausage.  For our sauce, we went for the Atomic in medium spice.  All the mussels were open and plenty plump.  The head-on shrimp were sweet and had a good meaty texture.  Loved the corn as it was still juicy and not overcooked.  Even though this was medium spice, the Atomic sauce had a good kick with lots of garlickiness.

We got Combo #3 with the Dungeness Crab option that also included a choice of shrimp.  For this one, we got 3/4lb of head-off shrimp.  It also included corn, potato and sausage.  We went mild with the sauce option here with the Garlic Butter.  The whole crab was really good as the meat filled all of the shell and was fluffy and fresh.  Too bad they scraped off all of the crab butter within the head shell (as it is our favorite!).  The shrimp was meaty with a bounce texture as compared to the denser texture of the head-on.  Since the sauce was mild, it was mainly garlicky while of course buttery.

The other option for Combo #3 is to have 1lb King Crab Legs and yes, we got that too.  We went for 1lb of the head-on shrimp this time around and had the Louisiana sauce in mild.  Even though it was not spicy, it still had a bite.  Plenty of garlic once again and there was some earthy notes.  The king crab legs were also full of meat and it was bouncy and briny.  Personally, I think the head-off shrimp is a better choice as they were easier to eat and the texture was more to my liking (more bouncy).  Potatoes were soft, but not melting while the sausage had a nice springy texture.

Our one main menu item that didn't have any seafood at all was the Beef Short Ribs served with rice and salad.  So don't sleep on this dish because it was actually quite good!  There was a wealth of short ribs that were well-marinated and tender (with a classic short rib chew).  I would've liked more char on these, but they were still good nonetheless.  Rice was properly textured and even the salad was decent.  I personally wouldn't go for this while at Bag O' Crab, but good for those who don't like seafood.

 

We ended off with some Tiramisu and it was more of a cake than the classic version.  Also unlike the authentic version, this had whipped cream, but it also made it lighter.  The ladyfingers could've used more moisture, but hey, this wasn't an Italian restaurant!  Yes, Bag O' Crab is a seafood boil and it does it well.  Prices are reasonable for what you get and the seafood is on point.  I like the Federal Way location more as it features more parking and the overall vibe of the mall is better.

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

The Good:

- Seafood had all the right textures

- Sauces were flavourful and could be spicy if you wanted it to be

- Reasonable pricing with all things considered

The Bad:

- The breaded wings were a bit too dense

- Tiramisu not really a tiramisu, but hey, it isn't an Italian restaurant

Burger Bender @ Match Eatery and Public House (Delta)

So here we are at Match Eatery and Public House to check out their annual Burger Bender.  Running until February 22nd, they are featuring 5 unique creations to compliment their fantastic burgers on their regular menu.  I've always enjoyed their burgers and sides, to the point that I've been here many times on my own coin.  Really love their wings and pizza as well.  So this time around, we stopped by for an early dinner so that we could take our time enjoying their burger lineup for Burger Bender 2026.

The first one we tackled was probably our favourite in the Bacon BBQ Ranch Hand.  You can clearly see what made this burger - the copious amount of bacon!  With a plethora of thick strips of glazed crispy bacon, the burger had this salty, sweet and smoky thing going on.  Texturally, the bacon added a crispy meatiness.  The 6oz smashed patty had crispy edges and was well-seared.  Providing even more crunch were some crispy onions while some pulled pork and BBQ sauce gave the burger some smokiness.  We paired this one with the regular fries and they were crispy with lots of potato goodness inside.

A fan favourite of year's past has been the French Onion Big Dipper.  This consisted of the same smashed burger patty topped with a crunchy breaded onion ring and 2 slices of melted Swiss cheese.  Along with caramelized onions, there was already a tonne of flavour, but the whole point of this burger was to dip it into the side of French onion soup.   About that soup, it was impactful and sweet without being overly salty.  It really complimented the cheese and onion where it felt like we were eating, not drinking, a French Onion Soup.  Beyond the burger, the side of curly fries were uniformly crunchy.

I found the Aloha Huli Huli Chicken a surprise as I'm usually not a chicken burger person.  This was quite enjoyable due to the aggressive char on the chicken breast.  It made things smoky with more depth (than what you might usually expect from a chicken breast).  Despite this char, the meat was still tender and almost juicy.  I would've liked more marinade on the chicken itself, but with teriyaki pulled pork and grilled fresh pineapple, there was no shortage of tangy, sweet and savoury elements.  We had the breaded onion rings with this burger and they were super crunchy.

The Mighty Mushroom could be seen as one of the underrated burgers on this menu.  I mean, mushroom burgers aren't necessarily anything out-of-the-ordinary.  However, with a generous amount of Boursin cheese spread, things got cheesy with herbaceous notes.  Add in the sautéed crimini mushrooms, and we had a wealth of woodsiness and butteriness.  Make no mistake, the burger ate heavy as a result, but the addition of Dijonnaise provided a bit of bright tanginess.  The side of chili fries was fantastic with the same crispy fries (that stayed crispy) topped with a meaty chili and lots of cheese.

Finally, the most "regular" burger was the Super Smash Burger featuring 3 smash patties with all the produce, burger sauce, caramelized onions and American cheese.  This hit the spot with thinner patties sporting crispier edges.  Combined with the cheese and sauce, we had some classic burger vibes going on.  We ended up with a Caesar Salad for the side and it was loaded with croutons, roasted garlic and bacon.   There are 2 featured Root Beer Floats on the Burger Bender menu with one classic and the other being boozy.  The combination of hard vanilla ice cream with a bubbly root beer brought back childhood memories.  In fact, the burgers offered this time around were reminiscent of past Burger Benders with creations you want to eat with sides that are just as good.  

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

The Good:

- Loaded and tasty burgers

- Equally great sides

- We ordered and paid for some wings because they are that good

The Bad:

- Wished they had a non-beef offering as well (like in the past), but they do have it on the regular menu though

Hansol

Having to take the car in for several recalls meant I was going to be stranded without a ride in Port Moody.  Luckily for me, Ipanemagirl was free and made the trek out to pick me up for lunch.  We ended up going to Hansol Korean just a few minutes away.  Now you might be wondering since we were going for Korean, why did we not head up to North Road...  Well, the ratings for Hansol are pretty good and we just wanted to take a chance at a place we've never been before. 

This mom 'n pop place isn't very large, but since we arrived at around opening, we were able to snag a table before the lunch rush.  Of course, with our meal, we were served some Banchan in the form of stewed potatoes, sprouts, tofu skins and kimchi.  These were good and served in a large portion (even though we could get refills).  Loved the spicy tofu skins with their appealing chewiness.  Potatoes were soft but not melting while not overly sweet.  Kimchi was not too tangy, it had good spice and sweetness.  Sprouts were crunchy and not wet with the aromatics of sesame oil.

We got some Yangyeom Wings because who doesn't like KFC (Korean Fried Chicken)???  Well these were really good with juicy wings with a thin layer of coating which was fried until crispy.  The skin was not flabby and the wings themselves were plump.  Unlike some places, there was just enough sauce coating these giving off a good balance of tangy, sweet and spicy.

Going for something a bit different in terms of soup, we had the Soondaeguk.  Yes, the blood sausage was lurking within the rich and mildly-spicy broth.  It was quite light and fluffy with the usual glass noodles inside.  With the addition of raw garlic and perilla seeds on top, we got sharpness as well as some slight liquorice notes.  Really enjoyed this hearty soup on a cold day.

Instead of the standard Bibimbap, we went for the Beef Tartare Bibimbap.  This was a very hot stone bowl as the rice underneath was already well on its way in forming a socarrat.  When mixed with some gochujang and the rest of the toppings (including the egg yolk), the bowl was able to maintain its heat and partially cook the beef and still form a beautiful crust.  Hence, things were a bit smoky and nutty while the beef was super tender and buttery.  Really good dish.

Last dish was the Japchae which was loaded with ingredients.  Lots of tender thin slices of beef and crunchy veggies.  The noodles had a nice chew to them while not being greasy nor overseasoned.  It was balanced and not too sweet.  Really aromatic from the sesame oil.  Good portion size too.  I got to say we really enjoyed this meal and it got me itching to try more of their dishes.  Glad we tried something different rather than defaulting to North Road.  If you are in the area, go give them a try.

The Good:

- Nice people

- Good portion sizes

- Solid eats

The Bad:

- Small place, seating will be tight

- Mom 'n pop operation, service will be sparse when they are busy

Gigi's

I used to live in Coquitlam during the 90's and let's just say it was a black hole when it came to great food.  Things began to improve in the early 2000's and things are heating up as we move into early 2026.  With the rapid development of the city and the addition of the Evergreen Line, there needs to be more services and restaurants to serve the population.  With that in mind, it was probably a good move by the Kitchen Table Group to open up Gigi's in the Tricity Pavilion on Christmas Way in Coquitlam.  The building is gorgeous and has its own parking lot.  It also houses a location of Nemesis.

We arrived shortly after happy hour and the place was hopping.  A few appies were in order including the Calamari Fritti.  I wanted to like this, but as you can see, it was pretty greasy.  Batter was crispy though and well-salted.  Maybe some of the pieces could've been bigger as well.  There was some fried herbs and fennel to compliment as well as a verde aioli, which was creamy and bright.

Moving into a lighter direction, we had the Albacore Tuna Crudo.  This was a competent dish with fresh slices of fish that was dressed in a chili vinaigrette.  I didn't think it was all that spicy, rather it was fruity and tangy due to the orange slices and caper berries.  We also found pickled onions, shaved fennel and fennel fronds.  Hence, there was added crunch, tartness and brightness.

Our favourite appetizer was the Wagyu Beef Tartare.  This featured Australian Wagyu, which I find less fatty (from past experiences).  That was a good thing though as unrendered fat can be rather chewy.  This tartare was not chewy, instead it was silky and buttery.  It was dressed with black garlic mayo and topped with parmigiano reggiano, grainy dijon and shaved black truffle.  This added earthiness, umami, nuttiness and tang.  Nice balance here as it wasn't heavy nor too tart.  Smartly, this was served with the popular cacio e pepe chips that inspired the Miss Vickie's version.

We had one item from the Burrata Bar being the Pistachio Pesto.  Since the burrata is served within 48 hours after being hand-crafted in Puglia, it is pretty much as fresh as it can get (unless you fly to Italy).  Beyond the firm, but thin exterior, the creamy and stringy goodness of the fresh cheese was evident.  No watery mess inside!  That pesto was on point with an herbaceous nuttiness complimented by saltiness of the parm.  We found some extra EVOO on the side and house-made foccacia.

When the Mortadella Pizza arrived, it sported extensive charring and leoparding.  Now there is a growing movement that is moving way from this as Neapolitan-style pizza should only have a few spots.  For me personally, I'm still all for the charring as it creates crispiness and nuttiness.  The dough was well-seasoned and appealingly chewy.  There was plenty of mortadella on top drizzled with pesto, crushed pistachios and pecorino.  Underneath, we had a sauce bianco (white sauce) which was nutty and lightly creamy.  Of course, there was some fior di latte as well.

Onto the pasta course, we had three of them including Alla Vodka.  This employed sedani rigati which held onto the vodka sauce well.  About that sauce, it was quite good with a tomatoey richness that was velvety and balanced.  The amount of vodka used was conservative and it was cooked down properly.  Hence, there was a hint of it, but it stayed in the background.

My favourite of the bunch was the Luigi's Bolognese with rigatoni.  To some, this may be a bit defaultish, but don't sleep on this as it was plenty delicious.  The bolognese was made with veal, beef and pork which made it plenty meaty.  It was creamy enough to take the bite off the tomato and there was natural sweetness.  Along with some parm and al dente pasta, this was a solid dish.

The most interesting pasta we had the Ragu Bianco sporting shredded braised beef cheek.  The ample amount of beef cheek was gelatinous and super tender.  It also had a nice beefiness to it.  Moreover, the creaminess of the sauce created a velvety texture.  With a bit of parm, there was some nutty cheesiness.  The most unfortunate thing was that the campanelle was rather soft.

We had the 16oz Ribeye Steak as our main.  We asked for it to be prepared medium-rare and as you can see, it was spot on.  It was also properly rested with no juices leaking all over the plate.  As such, each slice was tender and moist while mildly-seasoned (with porcini).  There was a decent sear on the outside and it was even on both sides of the steak.

To go with our ribeye, we had the Kale Caesar.  As much as the kale can be poofy in a pile, this was still a rather large portion of salad.  Properly trimmed without the spine, the kale was tender with some chewiness.  It was lightly dressed in an anchovy and caper dressing which was slightly briny with a balanced saltiness.  It was further enhanced by the parm and crunchy pangrattato as well as the focaccia croutons.

We ended up with two desserts including the light and refreshing Roasted Pistachio Panna Cotta with a tangy raspberry coulis and a biscotti crumble on top as well as dark chocolate shavings.  The pannacotta itself was creamy and not overly gelatinized.  It was mildly sweet with some nuttiness.  With a hit of tangy raspberry and crunchy biscotti, there was balance and texture.

The other dessert was the Classic Tiramisu.  Unlike other versions I've had lately (including in Italy), this one was on the heavier side.  Thick and cheesy, the mascarpone cream was nice by itself, but in a tiramisu, it was too dense.  That didn't make the tiramisu bad though as the lady fingers were soaked with just enough espresso.  The dessert wasn't overly sweet either.  However, due to the richness, this was thankfully shared among the 5 of us.  Overall, our experience at Gigi's was decent with a beautiful dining space with fairly good service.  Food was generally good with a few things that could use further refinement.  Pretty nice for Coquitlam, but probably not on the level of Downtown quality.

The Good:

- Beautiful space

- Good service

- Decent eats, especially for Coquitlam

The Bad:

- Some more refinements needed with some dishes