Edokko Nigiri Sushi

We have an overwhelming amount of Japanese restaurants in the GVRD.  So much so, it would take you over 3 years just to visit all of them if you were to eat out every day.  However, as many of you already know, less than 10% of them are actually Japanese-run.  Now, don't get me wrong, just because they are Japanese-run, that doesn't guarantee anything.  However, it does mean that the food is more simple and of course, authentic.  As much as I enjoy specialty rolls with sauces and fried things on them, that is usually a fusion creation of some sort.  Recently, I made 2 visits to Edokko Nigiri Sushi out in Richmond.  They are most certainly authentic and also feature some pretty interesting items.

During my first visit, we had a few smaller items including the Spinach Gomae.  Sure, this was a simple few bites, but it was done right.  Tender with some crunch, the spinach was at its optimal doneness.  It was dressed lightly with a mildly sweet sesame dressing that was nutty and aromatic while not being too overwhelming.  In addition to the regular version, we also ordered the Uni Seafood Chawanmushi.  This featured ikura, snow crab and uni atop a silky steamed egg.  It was delicate with only a hint of dashi.  The beautiful seafood on top made this a bit more special than the regular version they have on the menu.

Continuing with my first visit, I decided to try their Edokko Special (half portion) with various pieces of sashimi, nagaimo, cucumber, ginger and shiso.  This was a very subtle-tasting roll with the shiso standing out with its herbal and minty flavour.  I thought the layer of rice was a bit thick, yet at the same time, it wasn't an issue since it was beautifully textured with a chewiness.  On my next visit, I had the Futomaki (also half version) with the usual components.  Although I loved the sushi rice, I would've preferred less of it (as mentioned with the Edokko Special).  With that being said, the pickles and mushroom did provide enough flavour for the roll to stand on its own.  Served along the Futomaki was Saba Battera.  The pressed sushi was good since it employed the same sushi rice and the balanced amount of saba was flavourful.

On that note, we also had the Salmon Battera and it was comparable to some of the best in the city.  The salmon was buttery and complimented the chewy rice while the torched mayo-based sauce was a bit tangy, smoky and sweet.  There was the requisite thinly-sliced jalapeno on top.  Also had the Dynamite Roll and Chopped Scallop Roll.  Both had a generous amount of filling where the tempura ebi was huge while the delicate scallops were sweet.  As you can see, we had a selection of Nigiri including Chopped Scallop, Toro, Chutoro and Kanpachi.  They were well-constructed and the sashimi had a nice sheen and textures were on point.  The Tamago was also quite good being fluffy, moist and sweet.

On my initial visit, I also ordered a selection of Nigiri including Hokkaido Uni, Chopped Scallop, Chutoro and Otoro.  The uni was fabulous being bright, sweet and creamy.  Chutoro was buttery and sweet while the Otoro was curiously chewy in spots.  Other parts were melt-in-my-mouth buttery.  It had the brightness from the sea in every bite.  Second visit yielded some Toro and Atlantic Salmon Sashimi.  Once again, nice sheen on the slices and they were perfectly bite-sized.  Soft texture on both and naturally sweet.

Staying with raw fish, we had the Chirashi Don with tuna, salmon, tamago, ebi, hotate, abalone, tako, ika, ikura, flying fish roe and red tuna.  This was a good amount of quality sashimi on top of nicely-textured and seasoned sushi rice.  On our second visit, we had the Assorted Tempura with ebi, ika, hotate and veggies.  As you can see, the batter was lightly applied to each piece.  Hence, it was crispy and not overbearing.  That meant each component could shine on its own.

At the front of their menu, they feature a Shokado Dinner with a selection of items.  Many of them we'd already had as a la carte dishes.  But for those who want variety all in one box, you would find some sweet & sour chicken, sashimi, zaru soba, tempura, gindara, salmon battera and aburi tuna nigiri.  On the side, there was chawanmushi and a seasoned rice.  This was more than enough food for one person and for $40.00, this was a good way for one person to try it all.

Yes, the place has Nirigi in its name, but another dish they are known for is their Unagi Hitsumabushi Set.  Sure, the whole top of the bowl was covered in buttery soft unagi, but there is an option to have it layered in the middle too.  We got that and literally every bite was more unagi than rice.  Nice flavour on the unagi too where it was glazed but not doused.  Hence, we got the sweetness and caramelization, but not sickingly sweet.

Another dish that caught our attention on the menu was the Kamonan Soba featuring roasted duck breast, green onion, seaweed, fish cake and tenkasu.  Although robust due to the duck, this was a subtle dish where the flavours were balanced.  The broth had depth with some background smokiness to go with the umami and sweetness.  The duck itself was super tender and had a nice brine on it.

For my first visit, we ordered dessert in the form of the Hojicha Panna Cotta.  This was quite good with a silky panna cotta that was creamy and not "jello-like".  It was mildly sweet and aromatic while the hojicha exhibited some smokiness and sweetness.  Overall, these 2 meals at Edokko were enjoyable and satisfying.  They really live up to their namesake with a wide selection of well-made Nigiri.  However, their Unagi Hitsumabushi Set is also a must order.

The Good:

- Delicious authentic nigiri

- Unagi Hitsumabushi Set

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Maybe their maki sushi could use a bit less rice

- Hard to get a seat without a reservation

Viet Time

Whenever we are in the Bay Area, I make it a point to visit my grandparents at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.  Since we were leaving for the airport, it was somewhat nearby.  Afterwards, we were pretty hungry and considered eating at the airport, but you know, it is a ripoff.  Hence, we started Googling some options in the area.  There was the Koi Palace in Daly City, but we hadn't been there in awhile and my aunt said it wasn't very good.  So we settled on something simple in Viet Time in San Bruno.

We weren't expecting too much from the place, but the mom n' pop place was welcoming.  We had both the Phở Bò Viên and Phở Dặc Biệt.  As you can see, the broth was pretty clean and clear.  It was decent with balance sweetness and meatiness.  I think that it could've been a bit more flavorful, but it was definitely acceptable.  As for the meats, the rare beef and brisket were not exactly thin.  However, they were still fairly tender.  I would've liked it thinner personally.

I really wanted the Phở Dặc Biệt but settled on the Bún Riêu instead.  We needed a little variety right?  Yah, my kids ordered the same thing and Viv kinda did the same.  Ugh...  Anyways, this was pretty serviceable with a sweet broth that had some brininess.  Although there were tomatoes present, it wasn't particularly noticeable.  Noodles had a nice bounciness to them and the meats were fair in portion size.  I enjoyed the pork meatballs with egg as they were fluffy and tasty.

So here are the 3 dishes that were almost the same (sigh...) with the first being Grilled Chicken, Pork Chop, Spring Roll and Egg on rice.  The second was the Grilled Chicken with rice.  I had to include the picture of the Grilled Chicken because it featured 2 large pieces and it was only $11.95!  Not only that, the chicken was juicy, well-marinated and beautifully grilled.  The pork chop was also tender and had a nice sear.  Spring roll was a bit average though.  Overall, these 2 plates were more than enough food for one person, if not more.

Lastly, I added a Bánh Mì Dặc Biệt with all the cold cuts.  As you can see, this was heavy on the pickles, especially the carrots.  There was also plenty of meats as well.  I would've liked to see some more pate as that is what make this sandwich in my opinion.  The bread was pretty airy with a soft crunch on the outside.  Overall, the food at Viet Time was respectable and a great value.  The people are super nice and there is lots of parking available.

The Good:

- Serviceable eats

- Well-priced

- Super nice people

The Bad:

- Not the best, but for the price, I would go back if I was in the area

Fusion Delight

Rounding up all the relatives for one meal, we ended up having a party of 16 people.  Now we all know that means only one thing...  We met for Chinese food!  One of my cousins suggested Fusion Delight out in San Leandro.  She had recently attended a wedding there and was impressed with the food and the spacious dining room.  As its name suggests, there are some fusion elements to their cuisine.  As you can see in the picture, it was pouring rain...  I guess we brought that to Cali from Vancouver in December...

We kicked things off with the BBQ Pork with honey BBQ sauce.  On looks alone, this was completely legit.  The bark was so charred and caramelized that we could smell it.  Of course, that meant not only an intense smokiness, there was nuttiness and impactful sweetness.  If that wasn't enough, they made sure of things by drizzling a good amount of the honey BBQ sauce on top.  It wasn't overly sweet since it was a mixture that included maltose.  The meat itself was a mix of lean and fatty portions, so it was juicy and tender.

Since all of the kiddies enjoy Peking Duck, we had no choice but to order it.  Turns out the adults loved it too!  the skin had an appealing rich mahogany hue while being crispy and low on the fat.  Beyond that, it was also aromatic and flavorful on its own.  Underneath, the meat was tender and juicy with a mild brine.  Rather than the usual steamed flour crepes, we found steamed bao instead.  These were fluffy and provided a nice contrast to the crispy skin.

One of the most expensive items we had was the half of a Suckling Pig for $158.00.  I guess it was worth it because it was a significant portion and at first glance, it looked to be roasted beautifully.  That it was when we bit into the crispy crackling.  It was so light that it broke apart on contact.  Really great texture and aromatic.  As for the meat underneath, it had a balanced amount of fat where it helped keep things moist and provided natural flavor.

Keeping the meats coming, we had the Braised Short Ribs.  These were majestically plated with the meat sliced off the bone and presented on the bone.  With the meat being fatty in the first place, it was a good start in terms of the flavor and juiciness department.  Combined with a proper braise, the meat was fall-apart tender.  To literally top things off, a sweet, garlicky and sticky glaze was poured over the meat.  Really delicious and highly-recommended.

To get the obligatory veggies into the meal, we had a pair of dishes in the Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic and the Stir-Fried Yau Choy with Garlic.  As you can imagine, the flavor profile of both dishes was very similar.  There was enough seasoning in both so that the veggies has some salty sweetness to them as well as the aroma of seared garlic.  Naturally, the pea shoots had a different texture with tender leaves with a crunch.  The yau choy had a slightly more robust texture with more moisture.

One item we ordered sounded great even before we got it.  The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings also looked great when it hit the table too.  Many times, this dish has all the promise, only to fall down flat due to a variety of factors.  Those didn't happen there as the amount of salted egg yolk sauce was enough to properly coat each wing and to provide that unmistakable salty, nutty and aromatic flavor.  Futhermore, the skin was crispy and slightly rendered while the meat inside was juicy and also seasoned.

Continuing the same theme, we also had the Whole Garlic Fried Chicken.  This was a variation of the classic Cantonese dish where a whole brined chicken is deep fried until crispy while the meat is still juicy.  The brine on the chicken is the key as it not only flavors the meat, it keeps it from drying out.  This was exactly the case here with rendered crispy skin with an added element of fried garlic as well.  A nice and simple twist of a common menu item.

So far, we hadn't tried any seafood, but that all changed when the huge piece of French Baked Sea Bass Fillet arrived at our table.  The picture doesn't do it justice as it was massive.  It was also perfectly cooked despite being so thick.  The meat was flaky and buttery with plenty of moisture.  On the outside, it was seared and slightly charred.  Hence, there was a good contrast of textures and flavors.  The outside was smoky and somewhat sweet.

So we got back on the meat wagon with the Peking Pork Chops.  Yep, this was the for the kids too and hey it was pretty solid.  Each pork chop had enough meat so that it was still tender with moisture while the outside had some crispiness.  As you can see, there was just enough sauce to coat each piece without leaving a goopy messy on the plate.  The sauce was balanced being tangy and sweet with some smokiness.  Only wished there wasn't an oil slick on the plate.

In a roundabout kind of way, we got more vegetables in the form of Wok Fried Pork Cheeks and Chives.  As you can see, this included both chives and flowering chives.  Hence there was a different in texture and taste.  These were still crunchy and vibrant from the high heat wok hei.  Good aroma and no residual moisture on the plate.  As for the sliced pork cheek, there was caramelization and proper amount of seasoning.  It had the usual bouncy tender texture.

To end things off, we had the Classic Special Fried Rice.  This rice had a little bit of everything including seafood, cured sausage, egg, tobiko and green onion.  There was good wok hei where the rice was nutty and chewy (in a good way).  Lots of aroma and enough seasoning.  In the end, we thought the meal was pretty good, especially for the portion sizes and price.  Service is a bit hit and miss since the place is super busy.  Also a bonus is the large parking lot, you will probably find a space.

The Good:

- Large portions

- Decent eats

- Reasonable-pricing

The Bad:

- Service is hit and miss

Harbor Bay Village

So when it is Christmas, there are limited places to go and also limited places to eat.  However, if you know, you know that Chinese restaurants are generally open and hence, that is your best bet for Christmas Day or really any other holiday for all that matters.  So on our visit to the Bay Area, we followed this strategy and made our way to Harbor Bay Village.  Incidentally, this was also only a short 3 minute drive from our hotel.  Really, we should've just walked on over!

So we weren't sure what the protocol for service at this restaurant.  I say this because there seemed to be far too few employees for the size of the place.  We eventually got seated, but then again, we didn't get any tea or water.  That arrived much later and it was also difficult to get our order in as well.  Once that happened, we were served the BBQ Pork Pastries.  These were actually pretty good with flaky and buttery layers encasing lean BBQ pork in a sweet glaze.

One of the larger dishes we decided on was the Roast Duck.  It really was more deep fried than roasted, but I guess that is one way to reheat it.  Therefore, the skin was super crispy, but it also meant that the whole thing was pretty dry too.  Fortunately, some parts of the duck were still tender and moist (mainly the dark meat).  Another benefit of the deep fry was that the skin was well-rendered with barely any fat left.

For our choice of Rice Noodle Roll, we went for the prawn.  So the rice noodle sheets were relatively thin and translucent but it wasn't as delicate as it appeared.  There was considerable elasticity and a bit of chew in some spots.  However, that was fine by me since it still ate quite well and didn't fall apart like some overly soft versions.  As you can see in the picture, we found 2 large prawns per noodle roll.  They had a meaty snap and were properly seasoned.

We ended up getting a big plate of fried rice since the kids wanted it.  We got their favorite in the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice.  When I say big, the portion size was very generous.  In addition, the rice was wok fried nicely where it was nutty, dry and caramelized.  There was a good amount of moist pieces of salted fish that added its trademark brininess.  Moreover, the pieces of chicken were tender and mildly-seasoned, allowing the salted fish to be at the forefront.

Normally, we go for the XO Daikon Radish Cake, but here, they had the XO Taro Cake instead.  Worked for us as we prefer the taro version more anyways.  Whereas the radish cake is delicate and pudding like, the taro cake is more sturdy and dense.  Hence, the deep fried cubes held together and had a crispier exterior.  Also, the pieces of taro had that nice starchy powder texture.  This was not particularly greasy since the wok toss wasn't aggressive.  Therefore, it need some more spice as a result.

Getting to the most important dishes of the meal, we had the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings).  These were pretty decent in size and had a medium-thick wrapper which was translucent with an appealing sheen.  It was on the chewier side with plenty of elasticity.  As for the filling, it was mostly whole shrimp with some shrimp mousse to bind everything.  It had the desired snap texture while the taste was sweet and a touch briny.

Now Dim Sum would not be complete with the other part of this duo in the Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling).  These were also rather large in size with a fairly appealing appearance.  I would've preferred that they didn't steam the tobiko on top though (raw would be better).  Beyond that, the dumpling itself was bouncy and juicy.  The pork was tender and properly seasoned.  Best of all, there was minimal fat too.

One item that didn't pass the eye test was the Beef Meatballs.  They were pretty pale and the texture was a bit too dense.   I did appreciate that there was some actual beef texture left though.  We also had the Pork Spareribs and they were serviceable.  I thought that the seasoning was rather one note being salty with some garlic.  The meat itself was tender enough but lacking that classic bounciness.  These 2 dishes were my least favourite.

Onto the offal portion of our meal, we had the Bible Tripe with ginger and green onion.  This was decent with tender strips of tripe.  It was maybe a bit too soft as we lost some of the usual bite.  Flavours were good though.  On the other hand, the Chicken Feet need some improvement.  Other than so pieces being too light in color, the cartilage was still a bit crunchy underneath the plump skin.  Hence, it was hard to eat each piece, literally.  It needed to be cooked down a bit more.  Flavors were okay though with sweet and salty garlickiness.

We got some veggies into the meal with the Peashoots with bean curd skin and ginko nuts.  This was good with tender pea shoots that were cooked just enough.  Broth was mild and lightly sweet.  For dessert, we had the Pineapple Buns that were fresh out of the oven.  We had to wait quite a long time for these but it was worth it.  The bun itself was pillowy soft while the sweet topping was crispy and aromatic.  In general, the Dim Sum at Harbor Bay Village was fine and certainly did the job for Christmas morning.  However, possibly due to lack of staff on Christmas day itself, it wasn't a great experience.  People literally had to go refill their own tea at the hot water station.  I went as far as clearing our table so we had space to put new dishes.  Lastly, we got our own takeout containers from the front to pack our leftovers.  I was wondering if I had to go up to the register to print out the bill and pay too.  If this isn't the norm, then I would say Dim Sum was decent.  But if the lack of service is the usual, then I would skip this place.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Fairly large portion size

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Essentially no service

Yummy BBQ

You have probably heard me go on and on about the cost of food these days.  Believe me, I am acutely aware how lucky I am that I can afford to eat out.  Even with that, I have noticed the high cost of food, whether it be buying groceries or visiting a restaurant.  I mean, it is almost impossible to find a meal for under $10.00 that doesn't involve something burger and fries (even that is hard to find).  Enter Yummy BBQ located in the Central at Garden City shopping complex.  They are the newest entry into the Chinese BBQ game and they offer specials that are just a smidge under $10.00.  I recently checked it out with Lesley.

To get a sense of all the available meats, we strategically ordered something a bit different from each other.  The first combo consisted of BBQ Duck and Roast Pork on Rice.  I thought the duck was quite good where the skin was rendered and had crispy parts.  It was in an appealing shade of golden mahogany.  As for the meat, it was tender (both the breast and the leg meat) with the dark meat benefitting from the brine more than the breast.  

The next combo featured Roast Pork and Soy Chicken on Rice.  The cuts of roast pork for all the combos we had were on the leaner side with not a lot of fat.  Despite this, the meat was still moist and tender.  However, the lack of fat did mean it wasn't as succulent.  The brine on the meat was sufficient and the crackling was crispy and light.  As for the soy chicken, it had lacquered skin that was flavourful without being salty.  The meat was juicy and mild-tasting.  The scallion ginger condiment was mostly scallion though.  Could've used more ginger, but I do realize that it would be more costly to make.

For my combo, I went for 3 meats including Roast Pork, BBQ Pork and BBQ Duck (the duck was underneath the pork).  The BBQ pork was a mix of lean portions with some fattier pieces.  As expected, the ones with more fat had a softer buttery chew to them.  I thought the flavour was a bit lacking other than the bark.  Even with that, I would've liked some extra dextrose/honey glaze on the outside and/or drizzled over the pork.

I also got their Daily Soup which was Pork & Lotus Root.  It had some depth which meant it had been cooked for a length of time.  The meat was fall-apart tender while the lotus root had softened.  There was enough seasoning in the soup too.  Also in the picture, you will notice that we had tea.  We could serve ourselves to that as well as napkins and chopsticks.  In general, the stuff at Yummy BBQ is above average and very well-priced.  Really can't go wrong for $10.00 or so.  Not sure how long the promos run for, but this is the place to get a filling and tasty meal on the cheap.

The Good:
- Above average
- Well-portioned
- Cheap

The Bad:
- If you want to eat-in, there are literally only 4 tables
- Parking in the complex sucks