Combine Cafe & Bar

For those who are not in the know, Surrey Central has become (or already is) a bustling and modern community that is on an upward trajectory.  Sure, there are still remnants of the old Whalley that has yet to be redeveloped, but the place is attracting people and businesses alike.  So it wasn't surprising to see a beautiful restaurant in Combine Cafe & Bar open up shop along King George Hwy near Fraser Hwy.  It is actually right across from the King George Skytrain station and dishes up food that is both sustainable and locally-sourced.

Jackie and I were invited to try the place out and we were impressed with what they have done with the space as it is inviting with lots of natural light.  We started with the some drinks including the Wine Flight and also a mocktail in the Cosmo.  The appetizer menu is fairly simple and at first, we were not interested in ordering the Baked Focaccia.  Well, thank goodness they recommended it because the bread was super fluffy and soft with a slightly crispy exterior.  The addition of tomatoes and peppers on the top afforded some moisture and pops of sweet tanginess.  They finished it off with some herbed butter and that just helped amp up the aromatics and butteriness.

Next, we had the Oysters Rockefeller that were a bit different than the traditional version.  It still had a creamy butter sauce, but had far more melted cheese on it.  In a sense, that helped lock in the moisture of the oyster and they turned out to be juicy and soft.  Lots of natural brininess from the fresh oysters.  There could've been a bit more sauce, but otherwise, this was a serviceable version.

We ended up building-our-own Charcuterie Board with cured salmon, smoked duck, gouda, chili jam, toasted almonds and pickled vegetables.  They did a fine job in arranging the items on the board where it looked appetizing.  I particularly enjoyed the cured salmon as they were in large slices and the texture was buttery.  Nice sweetness accented by just a bit of saltiness.  The smoked duck was good too being tender with a quick sear from the torch.  Not a fan of the pickled vegetables as I would've preferred distinguishable pieces rather than a blitz through the food processor.  Almonds were fantastic with a sweet crunch.

Onto the mains, we had the Chilean Chicken with chorizo, white wine cream sauce, mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables.  I thought it was artfully plated with well-prepared components.  The root veggies were cooked through, yet still had a firmness to them.  They were intensely sweet from the caramelization.  The swaft of mashed potatoes was smooth and creamy.  Wished there was more of it though!  Chorizo was seared, hence it amplified the salty spice.  There was some smokiness too.  The chicken itself was a bit hit and miss.  The interior of the chicken leg was tender and moist, but the outer parts were a bit dry.

For the Oyster Cream Pasta, we added Teriyaki Salmon so that it would have some more protein.  We found the spaghetti to be perfectly al dente and bathed in a minimal amount of cream sauce.  I thought that was okay, but the promise of oyster sweet and brininess wasn't really there.  I mean, the pasta was solid and it did have enough seasoning, just needed more oysters or oyster liquour.   I would be fine paying more money for more oysters in the dish.  As for the salmon we added, it was not dry, but not moist either, somewhere in between.  The sauce was tasty though and the amount of it helped keep the salmon from being dry.

For dessert, we had the Ooops! Ice Cream which was more playful than anything else.  Consisting of vanilla bean ice cream with a waffle cone inverted on top, the dish also had berry compote, poached pear and cookie crumbs.  So was this something I would normally order?  Well no, but I enjoyed it all the same.  The ice cream was rich and creamy while the cone was crispy and aromatic.  The compote and pear added some bright fruitiness and the crumbs provided more texture.  In general, Combine Cafe & Bar is a stylish place where you can enjoy drinks with friends.  The food is quite serviceable but some further refinement is needed for them to be competitive with similar restaurants.

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

The Good:

- Wonderful space

- Serviceable eats

- On the right track

The Bad:

- Food needs further refinement

Otreat Brunch + Bistro

Brunch is a thing in the GVRD.  I'm sure I haven't said anything new with that statement since you can find brunch literally everywhere.  From high-end hotel restaurants to the neighbourhood cafe, we can get some pretty good brunch at different price points.  Now, have you noticed that there has been growth in the Korean-inspired brunch spots?  Think of it, we have Jess, Toast to Coast, Off and On etc...  Trying to get to all of them, I finally made it out to OTreat Brunch & Bistro in Walnut Grove in Langley.  OTreat is actually the combination of "offer" and "treat".  I guess we were ready for a treat!

That we were when we decided to go with Bulgogi Eggs Benny served on thick-cut toast.  Yes, this was as big as it appeared with a plethora of tender beef bulgogi.  The meat was moist and full-flavoured with a balance between sweet and savoury.  This was also set atop a hash with smashed potatoes, tomato confit and carrot rappe.  Two perfectly poached eggs with runny yolks were covered with velvety Hollandaise.  I thought it was creamy and buttery with enough seasoning.

We were recommended the Egg in Hash with gravy and honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of it.  For me, the whole point of a hash is that it is caramelized with peppers and onions, possibly has crispy potatoes and also crisped up sausage.  This had all of that but then was doused in gravy.  Now the gravy was actually great clinging onto everything with a silky texture.  It was salty enough to provided the necessary seasoning as well.  I just didn't like that the hash was wet.

For our choice in the pasta section of the menu, we decided on the Pesto Prawn Pasta.  We thought this was a solid dish where the linguine was al dente and thoroughly coated in a cheesy, nutty and herbaceous pesto (without being drenched).  This didn't eat too greasy and the extra parm and fresh basil provided more pesto vibes.  The prawns were beautifully prepared having a meaty snap that was sweet with natural prawn essence.

My favourite item of the meal had to be the Pork Banh Mi served in a soft baguette.  Now soft meant the inside as the outside was still crispy.  Stuffed full of juicy pieces of grilled pork, this was very filling.  In addition to the caramelized and smoky flavours of the pork, we found cilantro, carrot rappe, pickled radish, cucumber, tomato and jalapeno.  I could've done without the tomato as it made things rather wet.  However, the red pepper dressing was money as it provided slight spice and sweetness.  The side of starch-coated fries were fried perfectly crispy. 

In addition to brunch items, there is a display of bakery items too at the front.  We ended up getting the Ragu Croissant as well as the Earl Grey Cream Croissant.   Really enjoyed the savoury meat ragu and melted cheese on the crispy and flaky croissant.  As for the dessert croissant, it was filled with earl grey cream that was light and only sweet enough.  The pastry itself was a bit stiff though.  Still enjoyed it.  Overall, the food at OTreat is pretty solid and well-portioned.  The space is cute and the service is attentive.  Good brunch option out in Langley.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Well-portioned
- Cute place

The Bad:
- Enjoyed the cream in the cream croissant but the pastry was a bit stiff

B House (Lunch Specials)

The last time I visited B House, it was for dinner and we had some pretty delicious dishes.  They are an Asian fusion restaurant that successfully blends different cuisines together.  As you might imagine, fusion doesn't always work, but when it does, it is addictive.  This should be no surprise though as head chef, Hung Nguyen, has ample experience in the culinary field as he is a graduate of the International Culinary School at the Arts Institute of Vancouver.  Also, he has worked extensively within the industry including being head chef at Rogue Kitchen & Bar.  To makes things even more enticing, B House is offering a $15.00 quick pick lunch menu from Monday to Thursdays until 3:00pm.  You know how expensive eating out (and even just buying groceries) is these days, so whenever there is a deal, it is a great thing (especially when it tastes good too!).

Jackie and I were invited to try some of the items out on said menu starting with the Yellowfin Poke Bowl.  Although I would've preferred sushi rice, this was still fulfilling.  I understand why they didn't as there is no other dishes that require sushi rice on the menu.  On top, we found spicy tuna sashimi, pickled ginger, seaweed salad, nori strips, tobiko, pineapple, cucumber-tomato-kale salad, sesame seed, crispy garlic and truffle aioli.  With all of these components, we had a bit of everything including buttery fish, crunchy bits, brightness, aromatics and sweet tanginess.

One of my favourite dishes was the Papaya Salad with Lemongrass Chicken.  So this was essentially their version of a green papaya salad with kale, carrot, candied almonds, basil-cilantro-mint mix and pickled ginger vinaigrette.  Suffice to say, there was plenty of crunch from the green papaya and carrots as well as the sweet hard crunch from the almonds.  Add in the tangy bite from the vinaigrette and the bright herbaceous hit from the herbs, we had lots going.  To literally top it off, we had a well-charred brined chicken thigh that was succulent and full-flavoured.

Almost a hybrid of the first 2 dishes, the Pork Belly Bowl consisted of a jasmine rice base with beer-braised pork belly, daikon slaw, cucumber, tomato, pineapple, green onion, soy marinated egg, sesame seeds, crispy garlic and house aioli.  The best part of the dish was the buttery soft pork belly that wasn't too fatty.  It was flavourful with enough saltiness to carry the dish.  The other ingredients helped balance everything out with freshness, sweetness and tanginess.  Didn't hurt to have a custardy egg on top too.

Moving on to something brothy, we had the Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Soup.  So this was a version of Pho Ga, but with the same juicy and flavourful lemongrass chicken as the salad.  This in itself made this bowl already.  However, the broth could stand on its own too with savouriness, sweetness and umami.  With the usual addition of onion, cilantro and bean sprouts, we had the usual Pho accompaniment flavours.  There was also some chili flakes to add a bit of extra bite.

So with the reuse of the lemongrass chicken and pork belly in the Banh Mi and the Little Saigon Club, we knew there was the potential of tastiness.  Both were sandwiched within a crunchy baguette with chicken pate, lettuce and cucumber (tomato, daikon slaw & chili lime aioli for the chicken).  Since the proteins were tender and flavourful, the sandwiches were good right away.  Add in the pate, and we had some umaminess and creaminess.  The side of fries were fantastic, being hot and crunchy with soft potato texture inside.

We ordered some drinks to go with our meal including the Lychee Mojito, Just Like Shirley Tempo, Organic Vietnamese Iced Coffee and the Sweet & Spicy Pineapple.  These were all refreshing and since they were mocktails (can be had as real cocktails too), they were lightly sweet.  We couldn't help but order a dessert from the regular menu in the French Toast.  This was a great way to finish our meal.  Each slice of toast was soaked with enough egg and milk to create a custardy bread pudding texture.  They generously spread berry compote in between while providing a hazelnut chocolate sauce for us to pour over the whole thing.  Literally couldn't stop eating this.  In fact, all of the dishes were appealing and totally worth it for $15.00.  B House is such a little gem that is a great alternative to the Chain restaurants.

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

The Good:
- Great value at $15.00
- Big enough portion size too
- Delicious

The Bad:
- Wished they had sushi rice for the yellowfin tuna, but understand that they would have no use of sushi rice in any other dish

Curry N Grill East Indian Bistro

You know I've been talking about the elevation of cuisines that have been traditionally "cheap eats".  That would include Chinese, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and the sort.  Over the past 10 years of so, we have seen Indian restaurants (representing various regions in India) become much more opulent and offering up delicious fusion dishes as well as cocktails.  One of the newest is located on Granville between West 10th and 11th.  They took over the spot that The Marquis used to occupy and they have retained the elevated pub decor and atmosphere.  Chef Kamal is at the helm and he has travelled the world working in such places as the Taj Hotel and Park Plaza in India, Oman, Germany and in London, where he refined his skills in Michelin-starred restaurants.  With all this experience, we were excited to try his food!

To start, we had the Reshmi Chicken Tikka and Veg Samosa.   Served straight off the skewer from the tandoor, the chicken was succulent and full-flavoured.  It was aromatic and nutty featuring caramelization and char on the outside.  As for the samosa, it was full of tender potatoes that were not mushy.  Rather, there was still a bit of texture.  It was nicely spiced where there was a touch of heat to go with the earthiness.  The pastry itself was crispy and not greasy.

We then moved onto 2 classics in the Butter Chicken and Lamb Vindaloo.  Creamy and earthy, the butter chicken had a nice balance from the tanginess.  There was also some spice to it and sweetness as well.  The sufficient chunks of chicken breast were tender.  As for the vindaloo, the lamb was lean, yet still succulent.   Beyond that, the curry was full of depth with the burst of tang from the vinegar while the spices gave off fall flavours from the cloves and cinnamon.

If you look at the Palak Paneer, you will notice that it is really green.  Unlike other versions, it looks freshly green, where they didn't cook it too long and put it in a cold water bath.  Hence, I could really taste the spinach and the texture wasn't completely mush.  The ginger really came through and the paneer was soft and squishy.  Sizzling on the hot cast iron plate, the Tandoori Chicken was fantastic.  There was a smoky char and plenty of caramelization.  The chicken was tender and juicy while beautifully marinated.

We also added the Fish Pakora after the fact and it turned out to be an excellent choice.  The medium-sized pieces of fish were flaky and moist while coated in a fairly thin batter.  It was crispy and well-spiced with some earthy and nutty notes.  Of course we had some Garlic Naan to accompany out curries (as well as rice).  This version was more on the crispier side with a completely browned bottom and blistered top.  Hence, it needed to be dipped into a curry to soften it up.  There was plenty of garlic, so it was pretty tasty on its own.

Our last 2 curries happened to be our favourites in the Creamy Chicken and Coconut Prawn.  I've had something similar to the creamy chicken lately at another restaurant where they called it "Marry Me Chicken".  Well for this version, I would definitely commit!  It was creamy as promised while not completely heavy either.  It was lightly sweet with some spice and the usual cumin earthiness.  The dark meat chicken was super tender.  As for the coconut prawn, it was also creamy but with a coconutty aroma.  It was also sweet and had just a slight hint of the prawn brininess.  Definitely went well with the basmati rice.

So we had a few beverages to compliment our meal in the Watermelon Mojito, Rainbow Cocktail and Empress Gimlet.  Totally refreshing and excellent for Summer, the mojito was light and just sweet enough.  I found the the rainbow cocktail to be rather sweet from all the layers of syrups.  Best to pair that with spicier and robust dishes.  The gimlet was also light and went well with the seafood dishes.  For dessert, we had the Gulub Jamun served with ice cream.  Normally, I am not a fan of these rose-water soaked dough balls.  Shockingly, I didn't mind these since they were sweet, but not crazy sweet.  They were soft and aromatic.  The ice cream was high-quality too being creamy.  Overall, the meal at Curry N Grill was fantastic and food was prepared carefully.  Nice to see an authentic Indian restaurant with reasonably-priced eats along South Granville in Vancouver.

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

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Well-priced (also daily deals available)
- Comfortable dining room

The Bad:
- Parking can be a challenge in the area during peak times

 

Kamei on Broadway (Seasonal Menu)

I remember heading to Kamei on Broadway as a kid and getting my real first introduction to sushi.  It wasn't long after that I got hooked onto slices of raw fish, nigiri and maki.  Fast forward to the present and Kamei still stands in the very same spot with some of the same decor.  However, they have modernized with cocktails and creative menu items.  I sampled that last time I was here.  This time around, we got to try some of their items from the Seasonal Menu.

Although the dishes didn't arrive in this order, I will talk about the smaller plates first.  These included the Spicy Tuna Crisp and the BBQ Pork Kushiyaki.  With perfectly fried sushi rice, the textures were on point.  The rice itself was warm, chewy and seasoned while the outside was uniformly crunchy.  Tuna was buttery and mildly spiced.  As for the pork kushi, it was seared up well being a bit crispy.  With just enough fat, the meat was bouncy and tender.

Onto the bigger plates, we had the Roast Beef Pasta.  This featured thin slices of perfectly medium-rare roast beef.  It appeared to be sous-vide since it was really soft and uniformly cooked (but not completely sure).  The al dente pasta was dressed in a cream sauce with mushroom, onion and bacon.  I could definitely get the onion in the pasta and would've liked to see it cooked down a bit more.  The onsen egg on top added another layer of creaminess. 

The showstopper had to be the Nova Scotia Lobster Pasta.  For $55.00 on Saturdays, you get a whole lobster's worth of meat in a creamy pasta.  I thought this was quite good where the pasta was al dente like the previous dish.  It was creamy, but not heavy.  The sauce was like a hybrid of creamy and brothy.  Hence the broth portion was full of lobster umaminess.  The pieces of lobster were sweet and had that bounce texture.  Moreover, the claws had even more meat (once you got into them).

We also tried the Tonkotsu Ramen which was hit and miss.  I found the noodles to be perfectly chewy with elasticity.  Even the broth was fairly good having a creaminess and meatiness.  The fatty chashu was melt-in-our-mouths tender while exhibiting a rich porky flavour.  So far so good right?  Well, the addition of red onion was a real miss as it was far too strong and overtook everything in terms of impact.  If you are to order this, get them to omit it. 

We also had some Drinks to go with our food including the Sunshine Coast, Coke Float, Shinjuku Martini and Plum Spritzer.  Our last dish was almost as showstopping as the Lobster Pasta.  The Unagi Tamago Don featured a big piece of tamagoyaki underneath the eel.  About that eel, it was literally the whole thing with 2 large fillets beautifully grilled and glazed.  The tamagoyaki was also good where it was sweet and fluffy.  Overall, the seasonal menu at Kamei is quite good.  It features an array of dishes at reasonable prices.  The lobster pasta special is also good and well-priced considering how much lobster you get.  Same could be said about the Unagi Tamago Don.  Nice to see them changing it up with modern offerings.

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

The Good:

- Doing something different as opposed to the regular stuff

- Well-priced, including the cocktails

- Deluxe daily specials where you can have the expensive stuff for less

The Bad:

- Parking is still not the best in the area

- Ramen should not have red onion in it, too strong

Secret Congee

All types of cuisines have their comfort foods.  For many Asian cultures, congee is the ultimate in comforting eats that is often served when someone is not feeling well or want to detox from fatty or fried foods.  It is a humble dish where it is essentially rice cooked down until it becomes a porridge.  Sometimes, in more expensive restaurants, it is elevated beyond the basic nature of its base ingredient.   Now Secret Congee in Seattle is not an expensive restaurant, however, it does reinterprets congee in an accessible manner.

We tried a good part of their menu including their baseline bowl (in my opinion) in the Chicken Congee.  So all of their congee have the same base (made with chicken bone broth) with only the toppings being different.  I have to say the congee was pretty good with a thick viscosity but not that it couldn't be eaten easily.  The seasoning was pretty mild with sweetness and a certain nutty aroma from the rice.  Add in the white pepper and a touch of soy, it was lightly flavorful.  It didn't get watery even until the last drop.  I understand that chicken breast is generally more popular than dark meat, however, I personally would've liked dark meat since it would've been more tender and less dry.

We move onto two seafood congees with the Wild Blue Crab and Wild Halibut.  These were predictably more subtle-tasting with the crab being the more flavorful of the two.  It had a sweet brininess as well as a fluffy texture.  I really liked the crab congee as it also incorporated fried garlic, white pepper and a touch of soy.  This provided just enough seasoning to compliment the ample amount of crab.  For the Halibut, it was maybe needing some more salt as the fish was very mild-tasting.  On that note, I could definitely taste the fish, which was probably what they were getting at.  The addition of fried garlic, wolfberries and the other toppings such as cilantro, ginger and scallions, did make up for the lack of seasoning on the fish.  I think a bit of chili oil would liven this bowl plenty (if you like spice that is).

Staying with the seafood theme, another favorite of mine was the Hokkaido Scallop Congee.  Look at all those large scallops complete with the mantle!  This was full of texture as a result with the buttery sweet scallops offering up some textural contrast with the chewy (in a good way) mantle.  This ensured there was a bite of scallop in each spoonful of congee. For this one, we found fried shallots to go with the ginger, green onion, white pepper and soy sauce.  It was a little more aromatic and sweet.

Hands down, my absolute favorite and probably will order again when I'm visiting Seattle, is the Thai Meatballs Congee.  So far, the chicken and seafood congee were good, but for something with more body and robust flavors, the meatballs did exactly that.  They were juicy and tender with a wealth of natural sweetness and meatiness.  They were also well-seasoned giving off aromatics, saltiness and some pepperiness.  This really kicked the congee up a notch.

But the most flavorful of all was the Spicy Tom Yum Shrimp Congee.  Yah, it still had the same base, but you would never have known it due to the addition of Tom Yum influence with spice, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal.  Add in the shrimp paste and we had some umami brininess.  The shrimp had a meaty snap texture and were naturally sweet and aromatic.  The cilantro blended in with the flavors really well and this one had both fried garlic and shallots.

To add a bit more oomph in some of the more mild congee offerings, you can get a side of Chopped Century Egg.  That made a big difference in the chicken congee with pungency as well as a rich savoriness.  Naturally, you can't have congee without Youtiao (Fried Salty Donut).  This was really good being crispy on the outside while fluffy and chewy with elasticity inside.  Great for dipping into the congee!  To add texture, we also had the Crispy Fried Vermicelli Noodles.  Lastly, we had the Soft-Boiled Egg which was more like an Onsen Egg which provided creamy custardy textures for the congee.  Overall, the congee here at Secret Congee is good and they appeal to a wide audience.  Ingredients are high-quality and they aren't skimpy with the portion-size.  This may not be your traditional congee, but that is not the point here.  I can see why they have a lineup at most times.  I would gladly be part of that lineup.

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

The Good:
- Not skimpy with the high-quality ingredients
- Congee base has a nice viscosity and flavor
- Accessible for all (no scary ingredients except for the additional preserved egg)

The Bad:
- Small location and it gets busy! Might need to wait for a seat and it will be cramped