Nén Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine

Our early introduction into Vietnamese cuisine in the GVRD was mostly represented by the South.  However, as time passed by, we started to see Northern Vietnamese enter the market, starting with Mr. Red.  More recently, we have seen Chén Vietnamese open up shop on Hastings in Burnaby.  Now we have a Central Vietnamese restaurant in Nén Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine taking over the space in a strip mall on Canada Way at Edmonds. 

We started our meal with a Central Vietnamese dish originating from Huế in the Bánh Bèo (or steamed rice cake).  These were texturally delightful with an initial firmness and then a silky and bouncy finish.  They were topped with a full-flavoured minced pork sauce that had hits of umami.  Textural contrast was provided by the crunchy fried shallots and crushed peanuts.  This was an excellent version of the dish.

We got an order of their Cánh Gà Chiên with garlic butter.  This actually came quite late in the meal, possibly due to the restaurant being slammed during peak dinner time.  These featured whole wings there were fried pretty crispy with the skin being well-rendered.  The meat was not exactly juicy, but it wasn't dry either.  With copious amounts of butter, we could smell it while it sat on the table.  Flavourwise, it was definitely buttery and could've used more hits of garlic.

We had a few of the bigger plates from the menu including the Nén Special Platter.  This featured 3 types of meat.  The grilled pork with lemongrass was charred well, but pretty dry.  The grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves was a bit better, but still dry.  It did taste good though with hits of brininess, herbaceousness and sweetness.  The most tender and juicy of the bunch was the sweet ground pork skewers.  We found some rice noodle sheets, pickled daikon and carrot, herbs and lettuce to wrap the meat.  For $27.75, this was a lot of food and enough for 2 people.

We went for a bowl of the Nén Special Phở or their version of Phở Dặc Biệt.  The most prominent meat in this bowl was the whole back rib.  In addition we found tender slices of AAA brisket and AAA sliced beef along with beef meatballs.  The one thing that was quite evident with the first sip of broth was the amount of fat.  It really did add aromatics and meatiness, but at the same time, there was just a bit too much of it.  Otherwise, the broth was intensely meaty and full-bodied.

Full-sized and stuffed with bean sprouts and sliced pork, the Bánh Xèo was super crispy with a medium thickness.  Inside, the sprouts were still crunchy while the pork was tender.  Since they plated the shrimp on the outside of the pancake, they remained in their optimal doneness.  They were meaty with a rebound texture.  When combined with together with some fish sauce, we had plenty of textures and flavours.

With my son around for this dinner, we knew a plate of Lemongrass Chicken was incoming.  They didn't skimp on the chicken as we found 2 large deboned and marinated chicken legs on the plate.  They were charred nicely and completely caramelized.  There was so much sweetness and savouriness from the marinade that the chicken ate well with the rice without the need from the nước chấm.

With the same tender chicken, the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi featured a crunchy and fairly light baguette.  As you can see in the picture above, they stuffed the baguette full of chicken, so it ate hearty with plenty of flavour.  Overall, we were pretty happy with our meal here.  The portions are massive, so the higher prices are justified.  Furthermore, the food is tasty.  Would come back for sure.

The Good:
- Tasty eats
- Large portions
- Some unique items

The Bad:
- Service was polite, but not enough servers, so hard to flag someone down
- Is pricier than other spots, but the portion size justifies it

John 3:16 Malaysian Delights (Burnaby)

Way back in 2014, John 3:16 opened up shop in Richmond.  That was followed up by their short-lived North Vancouver location.  My first visit was to the one on Lonsdale and it was pretty good in my opinion.  Other locations followed including their newest in Burnaby.  Located underneath Oyama Sushi on Kingsway, the once quiet shaved ice spot is now busy with people enjoying the Malaysians eats.  We met up with Aussie as he was in town.

Whenever I'm grabbing Malaysian food, it is by default I order the Roti Canai.  For me, I'm looking for something flaky with discernible layers.  This one here was on point.  Beyond the crispy exterior, the inside of the roti was almost fluffy and plenty buttery.  The airiness of the roti allowed for it to be ripped apart easily by hand.  That texture had great mouth feel and by dipping it in the slightly spicy coconut curry, it was a delicious.  Oh, the side of sugar was great too as it provided a different experience than the curry alone.

The roti got us to an excellent start and the Chicken Satay didn't disappoint either.  Beautifully-charred, the exterior was also completely caramelized.  With the plenty of sugar in the marinade, it was activated from the grilling becoming super sweet and smoky.  There was the brightness of lemongrass coming through as well.  By using thigh meat, the chicken was super juicy.  The side of satay sauce was sweet and nutty.

Moving on from the appies, we went for a classic dish in the Beef Rendang.  By looking at the dish, you can see this was a saucier version (generally, there is no "sauce" in this dish), but we really didn't mind that.  The coconut milk was at the forefront offering up rich creaminess and aromatics.  Although the caramelization wasn't present in this dish, the sweetness of the palm sugar and coconut milk helped make this impactful.  The beef itself was super tender and not dry.

Another intensely aromatic and flavourful dish was the Assam Fish Curry.  This had all of the usual hits of spice, tang, sweet and umami with tender deep-fried filets of fish.  Of those flavours, the tanginess was the most apparent and it made things rather appetizing.  Since the fish had been fried first, it was cooked evenly where the skin soaked up a lot of the sauce.  The fish itself was buttery and soft while not falling apart.

Aussie's wife really loves prawns, so it was without hesitation we ordered the Nyonya Assam Prawns.  Having been fried, the prawns were completely edible including the shell.  As such, the natural prawn essence was present in smell and taste.  Tangy and sweet, the tamarind sauce clung onto each prawn providing a complimentary flavour to the meaty and briny meat.  Some crunchy veggies completed the stir fry.

As you might already know, there are many variations of Hainanese Chicken in SE Asia and the Malaysian one is a bit similar to the Thai version.  For this one, they employed the addictive ginger garlic sauce that really amped the impact.  The chicken itself was juicy and cooked perfectly.  On the side, the chicken oil rice was nutty, well-seasoned and appealingly chewy.  There was also the classic condiments of ginger scallion and sweet chili sauce on the side.

Going for a meat-centered dish, we had the Special BBQ Pork Ribs.  These were large and super meaty.  Prior to being BBQ'd, these were cooked to the point they were fall-off-the-bone tender.  Smoky and well-charred, the ribs had a bit of a crispy exterior and the sweet glaze was caramelized.  Intense flavours that made every bite a memorable one.  Really enjoyed these.

Of course we got veggies too in the form of Nyonya Eggplant and Stir-Fried Green Beans with Garlic Sauce.  Gotta say that the eggplant was excellent.  Each piece was tender and soft without being mushy.  There was definitely caramelization happening with a sweet smokiness.    As for the beans, they were flash fried first before the wok-toss.  Despite also exhibiting caramelization and sufficient seasoning, the beans themselves were a little soft.

In addition to all this food, we just had to get a fried noodle in the form of the Chow Kway Teow.  Super classic dish that was properly wok fried.  It was smoky and seared, creating umaminess and caramelization.  Add in the charred slices of lap cheong (cured pork sausage), the chewy rice noodles benefitted from the saltiness and rendered fat.  I would've liked more brininess to the dish though.  This was a solid version of the popular Malaysian dish.

Our final item was the Nasi Goreng with fried chicken.  Another winner as the wok hei (intense wok heat) was on point.  It created a smoky nuttiness where the chewy rice was well-seasoned.  The side of sambal ensured we could make this as spicy as wanted.  The piece of fried chicken thigh on top was super juicy, well-brined and sported a crunchy coating.  Overall, the food at John 3:16 is solid and tasty.  Sure, some dishes are prepared a bit differently than the traditional version, but that didn't lessen our enjoyment.

The Good:

- Flavourful

- Good wok hei

- Decent portion sizes

The Bad:

- Different interpretation of certain dishes (and could be considered not authentic), but still tasty if you don't care about that

Happy Hour @ Trattoria (Burnaby)

After a delicious and well-priced Happy Hour at Italian Kitchen in Downtown, I planned to visit Trattoria in Burnaby for a similar experience.  For those who do not know, Trattoria belongs to the Glowbal Group, much like its older sibling, Italian Kitchen.  It is a bit more casual and relaxed compared to the higher-end Italian Kitchen.  Originally, I tried to make a reservation for Happy Hour (from 3:00pm to 5:00pm everyday), but apparently, they only take walk-ins during that time.  No worries though as we didn't have any difficultly finding a table.  Also, for those worried about parking, especially since Happy Hour happens during rush hour, they have underground parking (albeit not validated) available.

Seeing how we had 5 people, I really dove into the menu and ordered a bunch of dishes, but they started us off with an Amuse Bouche (Arancini).  These were crispy with medium-soft risotto in the middle with melted cheese.  Our first actual dish was the Baked Meatballs.  These large meatballs were soft and tender with natural meat texture still hanging around.  They were well-seasoned with the herbs coming through.  It was topped with a tangy tomato sauce as well as melted cheese.

Next up was the Shrimp & Calamari Fritto Misto.  This was a generous portion of tender, yet with a bite, squid.  It was buttery and not dry despite the batter being crispy and staying adhered to each piece.  It was also properly seasoned too.  As for the shrimp, it had a buttery snap.  Some shishitos were added to the mix and they were good too being tender but still intact.  Some calabrian chili aioli was served on the side.

Unlike the Bruschetta found at Italian Kitchen, the ones here were constructed using pizza bread.  Hence, they were a whole lot larger and ate differently.  We had the Tomato & Basil as well as the Zucchini & Stracciatella.  With classic tomato sweetness and tang to go with the fresh basil and EVOO, the original was the best in our opinion.  Pizza bread was chewy with some crispy parts and soft insides.  I thought the hummus on the latter made things a bit heavy and when combined with the zucchini, asparagus and stracciatella, the whole thing was wet.

One of the best deals on the Happy Hour menu has to be the Beef Carpaccio.  Sure, it consists of extremely thin slices of beef, but the plate was pretty huge.  The beef had a nice colour to it and was buttery and tender.  The mustard dressing was creamy with a bite while the amount of shaved pecorino added the right amount of salt.  Crunch and more salt came in the form of fried capers and some peppery brightness was provided by the baby arugula.  Brushed with EVOO, the pizza bread triangles were nutty, crispy and a good compliment to the beef.

Accompanied by the same delicious pizza bread triangles, the Sicilian Mussels was another solid dish.  Loved the large and plump mussels in this dish as opposed to the often scrawny PEI mussels (although they do taste great!).  I found these ones to be more briny than sweet.  They were just barely cooked through and bathed in broth consisting of olives, capers, nduja sausage, white wine and lemon.  Due to the sausage, it was plenty spicy and salty.  Nice acidity to balance though.

We ended up with two of their pizzas.  For only $15.00, they were a good deal, especially the fully loaded Funghi.   As you can see, there was a good amount of smoked pancetta, mushrooms, 

creamed leeks, sprouts and provolone.  Hence, we had salty smokiness to go with the woodsiness of the mushrooms.  Nice charring on the crust too.  We also went for the basic Margherita and due to less components on top, the crust was crispier.  Tomato sauce was tangy while the fresh basil (placed on top after the pizza was done) was impactful.

There are two pastas on the Happy Hour menu and we got both of them.  The first was the Bolognese with house-made penne.  I thought this was a competent pasta where the penne was al dente with a nice chew.  As for the sauce, it was definitely meaty with a proper viscosity.  It was thick with a mild tomato flavour while somewhat creamy due to the proper amount of milk/cream.  There was balancing amount of sweetness.

So the bolognese was good, but the Tagliatelle Ghiottone was even better in our opinion.  It featured firm pasta that was bathed in a delicious cream sauce.  I thought it was just rich enough that each strand of pasta was coated without it being heavy.  Little nuggets of tender chicken were plentiful while the slight hint of brandy was in the background.  Some parm added the necessary saltiness.

Although desserts are not part of the Happy Hour menu, we decided to get two of them anyways.  The first was the Torta di Cioccolato (or flourless chocolate torte).  This was rich and chocolatey while not dry (even though it looks it in the picture).  Really enjoyed the nutty hazelnut cream and the particularly the crunchy and sweet candied hazelnuts.  Even though some might view it as gimmick, the Signature Tableside Tiramisu is worth ordering.  I've had it before and it was quite good.  This was prepared tableside and in reality, there wasn't that much of a show.  Yet, since was made-to-order, it had not been sitting around in a fridge all day.  Hence, the espresso-soaked lady fingers were fluffy and not overly wet.  The mascarpone was creamy and stable (not separating) with just enough sweetness.  A good helping of freshly shaved chocolate completed the dessert.  Overall, the Happy Hour at Trattoria was good and featured a good amount of dishes.  We felt it was good value and worth a return visit.

The Good:

- Generally tasty food

- Excellent service

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- Would've preferred the bruschetta on crostinis rather than pizza bread

- Wished parking was validated

Zhengxin Chicken Steak

I don't think there is a more universally loved dish as fried chicken.  Almost every culture has their own version and for all that I've tried, they have all been awesome.  So we are all familiar with Southern Fried Chicken and more recently, the ever popular KFC (Korean Fried Chicken).  However, one type of fried chicken that is gaining traction, especially locally, is Chinese-style fried chicken.  Now, I'm not talking about the Cantonese-style crispy chicken.  Rather, it is the Northern Chinese one that incorporates a savoury seasoning that usually includes Szechuan peppercorns.  The first location of Zhengzin Chicken Steak (out of China) has set up shop in Burnaby on Kingsway near Metrotown.

To get a full rundown of the menu, we ended up with both of their Combos for Two including the Double Package A consisting of a Spicy Chicken Steak, Spicy Chicken Leg Burger, 6 Hot Wings, Fries and 2 drinks.  This was a fantastic value at only $36.95.  The wings were crispy while sporting juicy meat inside.  It was mildly spiced while seasoned completely.  Chicken steak was cut up for us and it was fairly tender with also a slight spiciness.  As for the burger, the deboned chicken leg was succulent and juicy.  It was also mildly spicy with some tingle on our tastebuds.  The bun was really thin and almost not there.  It was like a jiang beng but fluffier.

The Double Package B featured even more food with the Hawaiian Grilled Burger, Spicy Chicken Burger, Boneless Chicken Strips, 6 Orleans Wings, Fries and 2 drinks.  I thought the thin bun did not stand up to the wet ingredients of the Hawaiian burger very well.  However, the chicken was fantastic though being super juicy.  The addition of pineapple did give it plenty of sweetness and tang.  The chicken strips were very crunchy and a touch dry.  However, they were well-seasoned with the usual spices such as 5-spice, cumin and Szechuan peppercorns.  The Orleans wings were quite different as they were grilled.  Hence, they were a little less juicy, but still plenty tender.  Skin was fairly well-rendered and slightly sweet.  Fries were great being hot, crispy and plenty potatoey inside.

Last item was the Deep Fried Chicken Legs.  These were split down the middle and fried aggressively.  Hence, the outside was super crispy and the meat was on the drier side.  However, that worked as the texture was remarkably different than the juicy wings and leg in the burgers.  It helped concentrate the spices more so with its fall flavours having an earthy, licorice and spicy notes.  Overall, the fried chicken at Zhengxin was great with many different options that were unique in their own way.  Naturally, the seasoning is typical of Chinese fried chicken with its earthy, sweet and fall flavours.  Pricing is reasonable where the combos being a steal in my opinion.  Great for both take out and dine-in.

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

The Good:
- Solid fried chicken that is a different than the local version
- Large portions
- Combos are a great deal

The Bad:
- Some items are not exactly juicy, but they work in their own way
- The thin bun doesn't stand up to wet ingredients  

Liuyishou (Burnaby)

Here I am again at Liuyishou in Burnaby.  This time around, I am trying out their AYCE menu for $39.99 per person.  That also includes one soup base for the table.  Currently, they are running a Halloween special where if you are a party of 4 and dressed in a costumes, you get one AYCE meal for free!  That effectively is 25% off.  So make sure you can round up 3 friends or family members!  This is only available on Oct 31st.  Remember though, since this is a Halloween special, you must dress up!  Also, if you say "trick or treat",  they will send out a free special dessert (available Oct 28th - Oct 31st).

Since I've been here so many times, it was nice to see some subtle changes.  Over at the Sauce Bar, they now have a refrigerated serving tray that features 5 different small dishes.  These include Mouth-Watering Chicken, Marinated Pig's Ear, Sliced Pig's Feet, Tofu Skin and Seaweed Salad.  All are very good and kept cold by the cooling trays.  The sauce portion of the station remains quite the same but there are now sliding sneeze guards.  Nice to keep things sanitary!

There is also a small selection of Hot Food that included Fried Mantou, Fried Chicken and Fried Egg Rice.  These are not merely throw-ins or for show, they are actually good.  The chicken is super juicy and the batter is crispy and light.  Fried rice is a bit greasy, yet is chewy and flavourful.  Adjacent, there are some DIY Grass Jelly dessert as well as some cantaloupe and orange slices.  The fruit is actually quite good being sweet and juicy.

Another welcome change is the serve-yourself Hot Pot Bar.  It consists of various noodles, vegetables, bean curd things, fish balls and tofu.  Obviously, this is added due to the introduction of AYCE.  This makes things easier for the staff as these items are easy enough for people to get themselves.  I personally like it since these are some of the items I like most and I could help myself to as many quail's eggs, bean curd sticks, corn and noodles to my heart's content!

For our visit, we ordered a good selection of what is available on the AYCE menu including the popular Beef & Lamb Ring.  Very cool to look at, but beware, you need to cook that meat fairly quickly or it will cook on the board.  Love that their Meatballs are freshly made including the beef and shrimp.  Another must is the Sliced Snakehead Fish.  Super buttery and moist.  One of the extra charge dishes is the Peppercorn Beef Tongue.  It is so tender and buttery.  Worth the $9.95.  Also worth the extra $4.95 is the Brown Sugar Sticky Rice Cakes.  Crispy on the outside with a soft chewiness inside.  The brown sugar is so sweet and rich.

On the topic of sweet, the free dessert that is part of the Trick or Treat promotion is the Deep Fried Yam Balls.  These are also delicious where the outside is lightly crunchy while the inside is soft with a chew.  These are sweet but not too much.  A nice little bite to end the meal.  So you might already know that I love Liuyishou and now that they have AYCE, it is even a better deal.  But try to take advantage of their Halloween special.  Remember to dress up!

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

The Good:

- Affordable pricing for the AYCE

- Food quality for AYCE is the same as their regular menu

- Service is great (based on previous visits as well)

The Bad:

- Location is somewhat small, so less space and less selection of cooked items

Ngon Cafe Burnaby

For since I can remember, I've loved snacking on Banh Mi or having a few of them for a meal.  They were really cheap back-in-the-day, but like everything else, they have gone up in price.  Let's be honest about it, they were probably underpriced at one point, so the prices now are more in line with what they should be worth.  I really am enjoying some of more progressive spots that have the classic sandwiches as well as some reimagined ones.  One of these places I checked out recently is Ngon Cafe in Burnaby.  Their menu is pretty simple with a selection of Banh Mi, coffees and now noodle bowls (in lieu of their salad rolls).

So the thing to get here is their #1 or Ngon Special.  This fully loaded sub consists of siu mai (aka pork meatball), braised pork, fried egg and pate.  If you can imagine, this is packed with umaminess and various meat flavours.  The tender meatball is sweet with onion vibes while the braised pork adds body and rich stewed essences.  Of course the pate gives plenty of punch with mild gaminess due to the fat content.  They also add a fried egg to it so you have even more protein in the way of fluffiness.  

The next best thing to get in my opinion is the Meat Lovers (as if the Ngon Special is not a form of that already!).  This features all the goodness of a Banh Mi Dac Biet (or cold cut) including more interesting components such as banana leaf pork, ham, pork belly, beef ham, jambon and pate.  This is seriously a loaded sandwich as every bite is a mouthful of meat.  The great thing about those meats is that they all have their distinct flavour.  Hence it is a real party of sweet and savoury as well as aromatics.

One of the more surprising sandwiches on the menu is the BBQ Pork.  Sure, that does not sound very interesting and in fact, it maybe is one of the more basic options.  However, this was one is a solid option for those who didn't want the aforementioned sandwiches.  This features tender and slightly fatty pork that is juicy and well-seasoned.  The sweetness helps balance out the savouriness.  As for the bread itself, it is light, crunchy and airy.

One of the most neutral options is the Lemongrass Chicken banh mi.  What I mean is that chicken is easy to eat and probably fits most diets excluding vegetarians.  With that in mind, the chicken is the least meaty of the available non-vegetarian options.  It is moist and has plenty of flavour while it goes well with the other ingredients such as the pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber and cilantro.  As I said, a good neutral choice.

On the other hand, the Grilled Beef is the opposite of the chicken as it is denser, more meaty and richer in taste.  I find the beef sufficiently tender, yet due to its leanness, the texture is a touch dry.  It is slightly peppery and plenty beefy.  The rest of the ingredients are needed to keep things from being too heavy.  Thankfully, the bread, as mentioned, is light and airy.  So it keeps the balance within the sandwich. 

Lastly, they have a selection of Vietnamese coffee, in particular, cold drinks.  In the picture, we see the Salted Cream Coffee and the Coco Coffee.  I'm not usually a coffee drinker, but these are aromatic with balance from the coconut cream.  A real treat in itself apart from the delicious banh mi.  Overall, the stuff at Ngon Cafe is carefully made with great ingredients.  Their take on the meatball sandwich (#1 Ngon Special) is my choice here.

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

The Good:

- Quality ingredients

- Lots of filling

- Bread is airy and crunchy

The Bad:

- This particular location doesn't have much seating, mainly take out